Everybody Hurts
by a-promise-of-love-and-life
Summary: (Sequel to Two Pieces) Lindsey and Kaleb are finally safe. Away from any people who might try to harm them. Well, they assumed. Lindsey is deeply in love with Kaleb and she honestly couldn't live in a world without him. Never did she ever think they would be separated, but everybody hurts someday.
1. This is my Life and it's Really Weird

**Author's** **Note:** _Hello everyone! Remember how i said i was going to take a break? Well I lied. It's summer people! I literally have nothing better to do with my life. So, here you go! My new story. Please please pleeeeaase read Two Pieces first, this isn't going to make a ton of sense if you haven't. I mean, I don't really care, you can do whatever you want, it's just highly recommended. Anyway, enjoy and feel free to review!_

* * *

"Come on." He grabbed my hand and started pulling me away from the group.

"Where are we going?" I ask, confused.

"Somewhere more… private." He flashed the smile he only has for me as walked down the hallways. We left the lunch area, none of our friends noticed, and wandered towards the back. He took me down the elevator into the garage. We stood between two cars and even with each of us leaning against one our legs brushed lightly against each other.

"What are we doing out here?" I asked him. He moved in closer and looked down over me, straight into my eyes.

"Well do you trust me?" I stopped leaning on the car and looked up at him.

"Well that's a dumb question. What are we doing?" I asked again.

"I'll show you." He placed his hands on my hips and pulled me in close. My arms went around his neck instinctively. The next thing I knew my lips are on his and our bodies are pressed together. I was so close I could feel his heartbeat, fast and strong against my chest.

My hands moved up to the thick tangle of his hair. My fingers got all knotted up as we went faster, more passionate. My wings unfolded and spread out. His hands reached up and his fingers lightly touched them. We stopped for a moment to take a breath. I could feel the bat ears on the top of my head and my muzzle coming out.

"It's all right." He whispered. He could easily tell how nervous I am; we had only ever kissed twice before and I'm not entirely sure the first one counted. "You're fine. We're safe here." I nodded slightly as my bat features disappeared. His hands, still rubbing my wings, eased them back into place along my spine.

We kissed again, less hungry and desperate. His fingers lightly touched the space between my wings on my back, sending tingles up my spine. I continued to tangle my fingers in his hair. We got faster and he pushed me against the car. His hands moved to my hips and I was almost afraid we were going to swallow each other.

"I… Love… You…" he said as gasps between kisses.

"I… Love you… Too…" I gasped.

"Lindsey? Kaleb?" We both turned our heads, but my hands stayed in his hair and his on my waist.

"Hey Bailey…" I said, nervous.

"Shay… Well um…" Kaleb said, also very nervous.

"It's ok." Shay said. They both walked away and we just looked at each other. My arms fell back around his neck and I stop leaning on the car.

"You want to do this again sometime?" I asked, slightly short of breath.

"Sounds good."

* * *

I'm Lindsey Smith, mutant, student at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Bailey Miller's best friend and Kaleb Reed's girlfriend, partner or whatever you want to call it. We traveled across the entire country together and we know everything about each other and do couple things so, girlfriend.

My dad was a mean dude. He hates mutants. So he hated me. He did bad things to me I don't want to get into right now. My mom is really nice even though she was scared of my dad. My parents divorced so I'm happy my mom is safe. My little sister Taylor is the sweetest and cutest thing ever and if you get to meet her you're a lucky person. I consider Kaleb a part of my family as well because he doesn't really have one. He's a really nice guy, if you don't piss him off. He generally keeps to himself and his few friends and likes to be very mysterious. But I still love him, every wonderful part.

I, being a mutant, can do things most people cannot. First off, I can fly. I have these huge bat-wings and they rock. When I get excited or scared and sometimes on command I gain large bat ears on top of my head, I grow a muzzle and fangs (I sort of have the fangs all the time recently, don't know why) and my feet turn into these bat feet that let me cling on things and plus really cool claws. Also, when I sing I can make anyone feel whatever I want, something about echolocation. And I have an uncanny sense of direction. My mutant code name is Echo. Bailey came up with it. She comes up with most people's code names.

Kaleb. I keep coming back to him. He is also a mutant. We call him Eclipse sometimes. (Bailey came up with that too) He can turn shadow into a solid matter, any shape he wants. He's a very dark person, appearance wise. Dark hair, dark eyes, dark skin. Even his clothes are dark. He's also really tall. I don't know, just felt like I should mention it.

Ok, the actual story. This starts on December first, Kaleb and I had been at the school for a month and we were just returning to lunch after getting caught by our two best friends in the garage. I didn't have my next class with Kaleb, but I did have it with Bailey. I caught up with her just as the bell started ringing.

"Hey!" I said, stopping next to her. "You aren't going to tell anyone, are you?"

"Lindsey, while it may have been slightly weird to see you like that, I'm still your best friend. I would never rat you out!"

"Thanks."

"Speaking of which, you guys are getting pretty serious, huh? I haven't seen anything as passionate as that since like, ever." I felt the blood rush to my cheeks as I blushed.

"Yeah… I guess we are. How much of it did you see?"

"Right around 'we're safe here'." We walked into the small classroom and sat down next to each other.

"Oh… heh…" I let out a small embarrassed laugh.

"It's ok Lindsey; you don't have to be embarrassed. I mean, I totally wish I had a relationship as strong as yours."

"It is pretty great having someone you can depend on like that. I mean, I can completely depend on you, Kaleb and I just have a special bond." She nodded and we got ready to start class.

* * *

"So are any of you guys going home for the holidays?" Shay asked at lunch the next day.

"I am." Bailey said.

"We can do that?" I asked.

"Well duh. I mean a lot of the kids parents actually don't even know that their kids are mutants or that they sent them to a school for mutants." Shay continued.

"I guess I will. It would be nice to see my sister."

"My parents don't know so I sort of have to." Bailey said.

"I'm going, but only cause I could walk to my parent's house." Shay said.

"I'm staying." Kaleb said simply. I could tell he was trying to act like he didn't care, but I could hear the hint of sadness in his voice. I slipped my hand into his and our fingers intertwined. I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and he gave me one of his "We'll talk later" looks.

That night we snuck outside where Kaleb climbed nimbly up to the roof. I just flew up as that made the most sense and I couldn't climb for the life of me. We lay on the tiles, looking up at the stars. I rested my head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around me.

"I get the feeling you wanted to talk to me about something?" I said, breaking the silence of the night.

"Yeah. I know it seemed like I didn't care and I was fine here for two weeks, but I'm kind of not. I mean, two weeks without you? I couldn't manage."

"That's not it though."

"I want to go home for the holidays. I really do. My mom doesn't want me back though."

"I don't have to go." I told him.

"No no, you need to go. You need to feel safe in your home and you need to see Taylor. She needs to see you."

"Kaleb, I really don't want you to be stuck here. Plus, I don't want to spend two weeks away from you, I really don't."

"How are we going to do this then?"

"Come with me." I said suddenly.

"What? Linds, I couldn't possibly ask you to do that!" He brought his shoulders up and looked down at me.

"You aren't asking. I'm inviting you."

"Let me get this straight, you want me to spend two weeks with you and your family in your house for Christmas?"

"Exactly!"

He sighed. "If that's what you want. It actually sounds really nice." I smiled and snuggled closer against him. Every time we were apart I longed for his touch, he means the world to me and he's everything I need. I'd really like to think his feelings are the same for me and I do.

I gasped. "Look! Snow!" I pointed up towards the tiny flakes. They fell down slow, landing on my face and sticking to our clothes. "It's so beautiful."

"You're beautiful." Kaleb said.

"Cheese ball." I said playfully.

"Oh, you know I had to try."

"I swear to god Kaleb you are two different people."

"What does that mean?" He asked.

"You're so much more open when it's just the two of us. People show up and you close off."

"We've had this conversation so many times Linds. Something about you makes me feel safe."

"Are you scared? Scared of getting close to people, since you've lost the ones you were closest to?"

"I think that just about sums it up."

"Why me then? What is so different about me?"

"I guess that's one question I don't have an answer for."

"We should probably head inside." I said, sitting up.

"Before all the little kids show up to marvel at the snow." I fluttered down and Kaleb climbed after me. We walked in through the back, fingers intertwined. We walked through the halls together back to our rooms and that night as I lie in bed I dreamt of Kaleb; my old nightmare long since past.

* * *

"How are all these kids even planning to get to their house for the holidays?" I asked Bailey in English class later that week.

"Oh, well the X-Men, as all the adults who teach here and stuff are called, have this like super fast jet-type-thing that will have everyone who wants to go to their home town there in under 24 hours."

"Well that's much faster than I can fly. Where are you from anyway?"

"Florida. Right near the beach. Actually, the beach is where I discovered my mutation!"

"Really? Well I'd love to hear the story."

"Oh I don't know; it's kind of boring." She laughed.

"Tell me!"

"Ok ok! So, I used to be way into surfing. I was at the beach by myself trying to catch some waves, because the weather report said they would be good. They weren't. I was just sort of sitting there, waiting for the surf when I had myself wishing I could make waves. I finally threw my hands up in frustration, and boom! This huge wave just comes out of nowhere! I tried to go in and ride it, but as soon as I put my arms down it disappeared. I tried again and again and found out that I could control the waves."

"Hmm. Cool. A lot nicer than my mutation story."

"What is it?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"It's cool. I understand. More of a late night roommate discussion."

"Those are always the weirdest." I said, shaking my head.

"Don't I know it!" She said, laughing. It seemed like we had those way too often.

* * *

I sat down next to Kaleb on the jet. Bailey wasn't coming; her parent's paid for her plane ticket. I was kind of surprised at how few kids were actually on the jet. I expected like the whole school crammed onto it. There were still a lot though. I decided I'd better get comfortable; we were among the last to get off.

The entire way my head rested against Kaleb's shoulder and he kept his arm wrapped around me. The kids around us were rowdy and loud. I was tired and trying to sleep in a jet full of children is like trying to sleep next to someone using a chainsaw, a lawn mower and a vacuum. Of course as the hours ticked by, less and less kids were in and the quieter it got. We talked a little; I was telling him anything I could about my family. I did eventually fall asleep wrapped in Kaleb's warmth like a blanket.

"Linds. Linds get up." I woke up to Kaleb's voice gently coaxing me out of slumber.

"Hm?" I got up and looked at him. He laughed a little.

"It's our stop." We stood up and headed towards the open door.

"Thanks!" I called to Storm, the one driving.

"Two weeks!" She called. We walked over to the bus stop where we would take the bus to another stop closer to my house. It was just one bus ride, I mean, what could possibly go wrong? Oh yeah, we're us.


	2. Christmas and Kittens

**Author's Note:** _Wow I finally got the chapter up! I've had it pretty much done for a little while, but I'm juggling my actual, non-fanfiction story as well as this. On top of that I broke the charger to my computer so I haven't been able to type for a week. No I didn't chew on the charger! Ok, yes I did. Oral fixation, it's a thing! Whatever, the chapter is done and you get to read it! Enjoy and feel free to leave a review._

* * *

We got on the bus together and took a seat in the middle. I shrunk back, attempting to look as small as possible behind Kaleb.

"Trying not to drag attention to yourself?" he asked.

"Exactly." I said simply.

"Linds, we're just taking a short bus ride. You'll be fine!" I nodded my head against him and he pulled me in closer, placing his arm over my shoulder protectively. The rest of the ride was relatively uneventful. Except for when we hit our stop. Unluckily for us, most of the people were getting off at our exact spot. We stood, but waited for everyone else and were the last ones out. As we got off I thanked the bus driver and what do you know? I freaking tripped on the way out. I tumbled down the steps and did some weird somersault on the ground. When I stood up everyone around me gasped. I felt Kaleb come up behind me and wrap his jacket over me. I knew what had happened the second I felt the warm fabric. My wings had come out. We walked away swiftly, trying to get away from their judging eyes.

"I'm such a klutz. Why are people so ridiculously judgmental anyway?" I shrugged off Kaleb's coat and handed it to him.

"If they had known you they wouldn't have been like that." Kaleb said.

"I think we both know that's not true."

"Well that's their problem then. You'll probably never see them again in your life."

"I guess you're right. I just hate that look of shock and utter disgust."

"So do I." We walked along in silence. Not uncomfortable silence. It's the kind of silence where we don't have to worry about anything and I can just look at him. His long, dark hair. His deep brown eyes. His freckles all across his nose that just make me melt. His small smile that only comes out for me. It was really everything I could do to not kiss him right there. Sometimes I wondered if he looked at me like that, studying every feature. I had him completely memorized. From the way he looks to the way he moves to the way he smells. I guess that's something you do when you're absolutely head-over-heels in love with someone.

"This is the place." I said as we stopped in front of the house. It was weird being there again after all those months. That night I told Kaleb that I didn't plan on returning. Yet, there I was. We walked up and I knocked hard on the door twice. I stood close to Kaleb and waited for the door to swing open. I took in a breath as the lock opened and the handle turned. The door opened slowly.

"Lindsey." The woman standing there said simply.

"Hey mom." I said. Slowly I moved in and she opened her arms for a hug.

"It's good to have you back sweet girl." She said. We stood for a moment before remembering that Kaleb was there.

"Mom, this is Kaleb. I wouldn't be able to be here without him."

"It's nice to meet you Kaleb." My mom shook his hand. "Well come on in! It's cold out." It felt weird to enter the house. Well actually, it felt weird to be allowed to do things in the house; including being anywhere except my room. Of course the second I go into my room I scream at the top of my lungs.

"What happened? Are you ok?" My mom yelled from the bottom of the staircase. Why did I scream? Well this huge black mass just sort of appeared out of nowhere and attacked me, so yeah.

"What the hell…" I said under my breath. I looked in the direction of which said mass went and when I got to Taylor's room she was standing in the door holding a black cat.

"Ha! Looks like Snuggly got you!" she said.

"Snuggly?" I asked.

"You didn't tell me you had a cat." Kaleb said, coming up behind me.

"We don't…" I said, confused.

"We found her after you left!" Taylor said.

"The poor thing showed up at our doorstep, nothing but skin and bones!" My mom said.

"Well she's cute." I said, walking over to pet her. "Oh wait, Kaleb this is Taylor, Taylor this is my friend Kaleb."

"Nice to meet you." Kaleb said. Taylor motioned for me to lean down.

"He's cute." She whispered in my ear.

"I know." I whispered back. She giggled.

During the next two weeks I forced myself to actually be downstairs and feel used to it. While doing quite a few things felt different, the strangest was eating at the dinner table with everyone and not in my room. Everyone talked and laughed and had a good time. It was a new concept. Taylor and I still had meaningful conversations at night under the sheet, which was familiar. One night she got a little nosy.

"Is Kaleb your boyfriend?" she whispered.

"What? Why do you ask?"

"You're a girl, he's a boy. You traveled together with no one else around."

"I keep forgetting how old you're getting. You piece things together pretty well, huh." She nodded vigorously.

"Plus, the way he looks at you. You can just sort of tell how he feels."

"Hm… I guess you're right. I didn't realize he looked at me special though."

"Oh come _on _Lindsey! I can also see the way you look at him." I felt my face flush. "He watches you. Like something could happen at any moment." I thought about that. He was so protective, he always had been.

"It's getting late, I'm going back to my room." I said, taking the sheet off and putting the flashlight on the night stand. Taylor got under her blanket and lay down.

"Goodnight."

"G'night, Taylor." I said, walking back to my room. I couldn't seem to go in that room without having a heart attack though, because Kaleb was sitting on my bed.

"Did I scare you?" he asked.

"Oh my god! Yes!" I whisper-yelled at him.

"Sorry." He got up and closed the door behind me.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"When was the last time we were alone, Linds?"

"I guess it's been a while." He reached a hand out towards my face, tucking the hair in front of my eye behind my ear. I squeezed my eyes shut; I didn't want to show off my scar.

"Lindsey. Come on, you know I think it's beautiful."

"You're just saying that."

"You don't have to, but I really do think every one of your scars is beautiful." I sighed and slowly opened my eyes. "You're strong. You are so, incredibly strong." I wrapped my arms around his middle and just hugged him. He wrapped his warm, strong arms around me and we just stood in front of my door.

"Kaleb, I love you." I said into his neck.

"I love you too." He whispered into my hair. He let go and we looked at each other for a while. He eventually leaned in, kissing me deeply. I kissed him back. I felt my wings unfold slowly, as they always seemed to do when I kissed Kaleb. He reached up and brushed his fingertips lightly against them. I smiled as we kissed; it felt really awesome when he did that.

"I can feel your fangs." Kaleb said simply.

"Am I hurting you?"

"No. I almost kind of like it." I felt him smile against my lips. We did stop eventually and I rested my head on his shoulder.

"You should probably go back to the guest room." I said absentmindedly.

"I probably should." He let me go and put a hand on the door handle, giving me a kiss on the forehead before turning it. Couldn't leave the room without having a heart attack either, as Taylor and Snuggly sat on the other side. She smiled innocently at us.

"I thought you were in bed." I said, laughing slightly.

"I had to see if I was right! And I was." She stood up, looking very proud of herself.

"Sneaky little thing." I said, sending her back to her room. "Kids…"

Kaleb laughed a little. "Goodnight Lindsey."

"Goodnight Kaleb."

* * *

It was around three a.m. on Christmas day when I heard some sobbing noises coming from the bathroom. I got up from my bed and walked slowly and silently over to the bathroom door. I knocked quietly a few times and suddenly it was silent.

"Taylor?" I called.

"Uh, don't come in! I'll, um, I'll be right out!"

"Taylor, what are you doing in there?" I heard some more sobbing noises. "I'm coming in." I opened the door despite Taylor's protests. She was standing in front of the mirror, but she didn't have things I remembered her having. On top of her head were two black, fuzzy cat ears. In her clawed hands she held a black tail coming from the base of her spine. Her eyes were no longer blue, but an emerald green and her pupils were not circles, they were slits. Cat. She was part black cat.

"I really didn't want you to see me like this." She said. When she spoke I could see her fangs.

"Taylor, when did this happen?" I asked, coming in farther.

"Well I've been sore for a while, but I just woke up and there they were."

"Taylor, you're like me. You're a mutant." I opened my wings up and smiled, showing off my fangs. She came up and hugged me, her tears staining my shirt. "Would you like to show Kaleb? I think he would be excited for you." She nodded and I let go. "Stay right here, I'll go and get him." I went back and into the guest room.

"Kaleb!" I called quietly.

"Hng?" he made a strange noise as he sat up. "What? What is it?"

"It's Taylor! She's like us."

"What? She's a mutant?"

"Yes! She's devastated and I think she needs support from her fellow mutants." He nodded and got up. He followed me to the bathroom where Taylor was still crying.

"Taylor?" Kaleb said. She looked up at him with sadness all over her. "Are you ok?" He asked. She shook her head.

"Why are you upset?" I asked.

"Everyone hates mutants. I can't let anyone see me or I'll get laughed at. No one wants to be friends with a freak."

"Well, we can take you to our school. Everyone there is like us. You won't get laughed at, I promise." Kaleb told her. She nodded and wiped her tears away.

"Maybe Snuggly came to tell me." We both smiled at her. "I don't want to tell mom until morning."

"That's fine. We can all tell her together." I said. She nodded and sniffled.

"Can I sleep in your room Lindsey?"

"Of course." She ran off to get her stuff set up and I turned to Kaleb. "Thank you so much."

"Anytime. How do you think your mom is going to react?"

"She'll be fine. I feel horrible leaving her here alone though. We don't really have a choice though, Taylor's mutation is so obvious and it isn't going anywhere. I'd stay here with her, but there's this whole new life I have."

"It's ok. You should get some sleep though." I gave him a quick hug before going into my room. It was hard for me to sleep; I didn't want this kind of life for my only sister. She just had to live with it I guess. It was who she was born to be. I was born to be what I was and Kaleb was born to do the impossible. We just had to live with it.

The next morning we got up after my mom, who was waiting for us by the tree. Taylor followed behind me, out of my mom's sight.

"Merry Christmas everyone." She said.

"Merry Christmas mom." Taylor and I said together. Kaleb helped me block off Taylor.

"Can I see you, Taylor?" she asked.

"Mom, Taylor has something she wants to show you. I want you to go into this with an open mind and know that this is how it was meant to be. Are you ready Taylor?"

"Yes." She said quietly. Kaleb and I stepped aside to reveal her in her furry glory. "I'm a mutant." She said in a small voice. My mom stood up and knelt next to her.

"I still love you." She said simply. She gave her a hug and they just sat.

"Mom, I want to go to Lindsey and Kaleb's school. Everyone there is like us and I won't get laughed at."

"You should. It would be much better for you." My mom stood up and looked at us. "Now let's open presents." We all sat down around the tree, Taylor eagerly picking out the presents with her name on them.

"How does this work?" I asked.

"That's right, been a while since you had Christmas with us, huh. Well grab the ones with your name on them and we'll open them one by one, youngest to oldest." My mom said. I nodded and started crawling around, grabbing the few with my name and the others with Kaleb's. I'm sure other kids would generally get more than what we had, but the thought didn't cross my mind at the time. Getting anything was a real first for me. Taylor immediately started ripping hers open. She was unaware of the new strength she had gotten over night and ended up tearing the box itself open.

"I guess those claws will come in handy in the danger room." I said. The danger room was a simulation room where the students hone their abilities.

"Sounds fun!" Kaleb and I laughed. Mr. Logan did _not _go easy on most students. She lifted a new dress out of the box. It was so like her, she loved dresses. My birthday is in January so Kaleb went next. He opened a small card from Taylor. She hadn't been able to sleep that night, so I suggested she do that. She drew a picture of the three of us and wrote "Merry Christmas! Thank you for helping me." While she thought I wasn't looking she wrote something else too. "And thanks for taking care of my sister, please keep doing that." She really had to be the absolute sweetest thing.

"That's so sweet Taylor." He said. She blushed and looked at her feet.

"Open mine, Lindsey!" She said, pushing it towards me. I smiled and ripped it open. It was a small teddy bear with paper bat wings tapped on.

"Oh my gosh that's so adorable!" I gave her a hug. "Thank you." My mom opened a card from all of us with individual thank-you's. Taylor opened up some drawing stuff, she loves art. Kaleb opened something from all of us next. A Polaroid camera, the ones that give you the pictures right after you take them.

"Oh wow. Thank you so much, I'm… I'm speechless."

"Well preserving memories is important at a time like this." My mom said.

"Get together guys!" He said and we all sat closer. We smiled and the camera flashed. The picture came out and he put it aside. "Cute. You guys all look alike it's weird."

"We are a family after all." Taylor said.

"And now you're a part of it." I told him. At that moment Snuggly walked in and sat in Taylor's lap. "You too, Snuggly." My next one was big, really big. And oddly shaped. I ripped the paper and a black case sat inside. Upon opening it I discovered an acoustic guitar. It was sky blue (my favorite color) with a black bat painted on it.

"I thought since you loved to sing you might as well have some music to sing to." My mom said.

"Oh my gosh! You didn't, you shouldn't have!" I had taken lessons as a kid and already knew a lot of songs. My teacher said I was a natural. I pulled it out carefully and played a chord. "Oh wow it feels good."

"I knew you'd love it." She said. Taylor opened another thing and I handed Kaleb my gift for him. It was a small box and he opened it slowly. Inside was a leather bracelet with a silver full moon charm attached to it. Engraved on the back was simply "Eclipse."

"Linds, it's perfect. Thank you." He put it on and pulled me closer to him, planting a kiss just above my temple.

"You're welcome." I said smiling. He handed me his gift, a small, blue box. Inside was a dark grey necklace with a heart pendant.

"Open it." He said. I opened the locket to find a small picture of the two of us in there. The letters "L+K" were carved on the other side.

"Oh wow. Thank you so much Kaleb." He put it on for me and I smiled.

"Who wants French toast?" My mom said from the kitchen.

"Ooh me, me, me!" Taylor shouted, jumping up and running over. I giggled and stood up, taking Kaleb's hand and helping him up. The rest of the week went by uneventfully, mostly getting Taylor ready to go to the X-castle. (Yes I'm aware it's actually a mansion. It looks like a castle to me.)

The day we were leaving I was dressing Taylor head to toe, completely covered. Big jacket, hood up, scarf, long pants and gloves. I was trying to tuck her tail into the jacket when Kaleb called us to leave.

"Ok. Are you ready?" I asked.

"I don't want to leave my old life behind like you did, Lindsey." She said.

"I know. Your life was good, great in fact! But, if you went to your school looking like that… It's the sad truth that people will stare and people will freak out and you will be ignored by all of your old friends. The school is so much better for our kind, those of us with visible mutations. There everyone will think it's beautiful."

"I hope you're right." I took her hand in mine as we headed for the door.

"Thanks for everything mom." I said at the door.

"Your welcome sweet girl. Taylor, you're going to be ok?"

"Mhm." She said, nodding.

"All right. Good luck! See you in the summer!" We all waved goodbye, bags in tow, and headed for the bus stop. Luckily for us none of the people from last time were there and we were able to make the journey with no mishaps. Once we got to the meeting point we waited until the jet dissented. We waved at them and the door opened. We were among their first stops and only a few other kids were on.

"Funny, I thought I only dropped off two kids." Storm said, turning to face us.

"This is my sister, Taylor. Show her, its ok." I said. She nodded and took off her scarf, hat, sunglasses and coat. Her furry ears poked up and her tail moved behind her like a headless snake. She flexed her claws and showed off her fangs.

"Amazing." Storm said quietly. "Well, welcome Taylor. Buckle up, it's going to be a while." We all sat down on one of the benches, Taylor and Kaleb on either side of me. Taylor took my hand and I gave hers a quick squeeze. Kaleb wrapped his arm around my shoulder and I snuggled into him. I couldn't help but smile with the sheer happiness that spread through me having the two people I was closest to near me.


	3. Keep Quiet

**Author's Note: **_Hey look what I finished! So I really enjoyed writing this chapter, it's definitely an emotional high. So, enjoy. Feel free to review and such because I love reading any review. Yeah._

* * *

"Taylor, are you sure you're ready for this?" I asked while we stood in the metal corridors beneath the castle. Kaleb, Bailey and Shay were with us since we had the same danger room group.

"I want to do it. You said it yourself, the claws would come in handy."

"She certainly is determined. I'm actually excited to see what kind of mayhem she can cause." Shay said to me. I rolled my eyes and continued my concentration. We were all tense, internally prepping our mutations to take down whatever we faced. Except for Taylor. She was practically bursting with excitement. Professor X had been working with me individually to take control over when I shift between phases. Suddenly the door slid open and Mr. Logan or "Wolverine" stood in front.

"I thought this class is for my newest group of almost X-Men. Not the trainees." He said, looking directly at Taylor. She looked at him and growled, baring her fangs and flexing her claws.

"Mr. Logan, this is my little sister and the newest mutant here. Professor X said that it would be best if she trained with us." I told him.

"Well I guess we have to do what the boss man says. So it's his fault if she is crying hysterically or seriously injured by the time we're finished." He stepped aside and let us in. We each had suit especially designed to up our individual mutations. Mine didn't come with shoes, but then again I don't wear shoes ever. Inside there was a small control room before another door led to the actual danger room.

"Woah." Taylor said simply.

"How about the older kids go first, so they can show you how it's done." Mr. Logan said.

"No, just tell me what to do. I want to go!" She looked ready to explode from the sheer joy.

"Well it's pretty simple. Try not to get hurt." He unlocked the door and opened it up. She eagerly stepped through and stood in the center. All four of us watched through the huge window.

"You'll go easy on her won't you, Mr. Logan?" Bailey asked.

"Riptide, I don't go easy on anyone. For this one, I'll turn it down a little though." He pressed a few buttons and pulled some levers. He pulled on the microphone and spoke into it. "You ready kid?" she put a big thumbs-up with a huge smile as Shay rolled his eyes. Logan shrugged and pressed the large button on the center console. We watched as the scenery around her changed. Suddenly she was in a light forest surrounded by trees and shrubbery. She stood in the center, fighting stance. A bush to her side rustled and she turned to face it, claws at the ready. She tensed up as a small, white mass leaped from inside.

A rabbit. She released her stance for just a moment, turning just a split second from being attacked by a… well I'm not sure what it was, but it did not look happy. Just as it jumped her ears twitched and she whirled around, slicing at fur and flesh with her claws. As it lay stunned she hit the ground on all fours and pounced. She pulled with her teeth and claws, throwing the beast into the trees, ready for the next one. She took down several more and other beasts before she thought Mr. Logan was turning it off. Next thing we knew she was on the ground, pinned beneath a creature. She snapped and pulled, but couldn't get it off.

"Logan! Turn it off! Turn it OFF!" I shouted at him.

"She'll get it." He looked completely calm, unfazed by what was going on. She didn't look like she was going to get up anytime soon and I couldn't stand watching her like that.

"Logan, I swear to god if you don't turn that thing OFF!" I yelled, standing up and going over to him.

"She can do it!" He yelled back.

"That's it." I marched over to the door while everyone protested. I looked back for a split second at Kaleb before opening the door and going in.

"Lindsey what are you doing?" She asked. I concentrated and was quickly in my half-bat form, wings spread wide and claws out. I flew upward and landed on the furry beast, bottom talons sinking into fake flesh. The creature let out a cry of agony and Taylor got up. With a quick yowl of triumph, she sunk her fangs deep into the creature's neck. I released my grip and she flung the creature away. I fluttered down and stood next to her, staring right at where I knew the window was.

"We're done." I said, loud and clear. The forest around us dissipated and the door was revealed. I opened it up and walked through, taking my seat next to Kaleb.

"That was reckless and a stupid move on your part, Echo. I expect more from you." Mr. Logan said to me.

"If you expect me to leave my family behind and allow them to get hurt like that, then I think you have some horrible standards." I said back, standing up.

"She had it handled."

"She was going to get hurt."

"Who brought an eight year old into the danger room? You. The Professor. I saw, she had her opening coming and she was ready for it. She will stay weak because of you."

"What if that was your family member? You would have done something."

"Listen Echo, I don't have no family!"

"Family doesn't end with blood, _Wolverine. _Anyone you care about is family. If you would die for them, they are family. My dad may have been my biological father, but he is not my family. I may have found Kaleb in the street, but he is my family." I felt a hot tear run down my cheek. "I would have done the same for him. There has to be someone you would do something reckless and stupid for?"

He took a minute to take in my words. "I understand where you're coming from. Just next time kid, listen to me. I'm generally right."

"Yessir." I said, sitting back down.

"Also, how many times have I told you kids, you use codenames in the danger room and on missions. Always."

"Yessir, Wolverine." We all said together.

"Eclipse, Riptide and Whiplash. You're next."

"What about me?" I asked.

"You had a turn, kid." The others completed the simulation nearly flawlessly and we were heading back only a few minutes later. Danger room sessions were always my favorite part of the day, but I preferred to do it with at least Kaleb. Our strengths and abilities went well together and we had plenty of on-field training.

"Did you guys hear about that party Caylin is throwing?" Shay asked us.

"Yep. I'm so there." Bailey replied.

"Party?" I asked.

"Caylin said she's throwing a wicked party in her room. Everyone knows her room is the biggest and the best for it. It's on Friday if you guys are down." Shay explained.

"Probably going way into the night. I don't think I'll even wake up on Saturday." Bailey continued. I gave Kaleb a look. He nodded at me and I felt my heart flutter.

"I don't think so. I really need to catch up on some sleep, _Bailey_." I said accusingly. She did keep me up often just talking.

"Me neither." Kaleb said simply. They both just rolled their eyes and headed off to their classes. I grabbed Kaleb's hand and we walked to our next class conjoined as one.

Friday night I sat on one of the chairs in my room, just me and my thoughts. I heard a knock on the door and I opened it up.

"Come in, sit down." I said, moving out of the way so Kaleb could come in. We both sat down on my bottom bunk next to one another. He took my hands and gave them a little squeeze.

"I love you, Lindsey. So much." He said, his deep brown eyes warm and comforting.

"I love you too, Kaleb." I replied, my tiredness evident in my voice. I rested my head on his shoulder and he released my hands, wrapping his arms around my waist. My hands rested over his chest, grasping the soft, black fabric of his shirt. Slowly we twisted our bodies together and lay down on my bed. He kept his arms placed protectively around me and my hands stayed on his chest.

"Kaleb?" I asked quietly.

"Mhm?"

"Why do you love me? What makes you so incredibly comfortable around me to where you just spill all of your darkest secrets?" He hesitated a moment before speaking.

"When I first saw you. And when you used your mutation against me. Something in your face made me think 'I can trust her.' As we traveled I got to know you. The happy, loving side. The clumsy side. And the side that hides so much sadness and pain. It's the last one that made me realize I had to do everything in my power to protect you. I won't let anyone hurt you again." I snuggled closer and he kissed my forehead. "Not to mention you are absolutely beautiful. Every one of your scars as well."

"I've never told you this, but I really think you are stunningly handsome. Your dark hair, the way it slightly covers your eyes. Your eyes are just so, inviting. They make me feel safe. Those slight freckles dotted across your nose just… wow. Every one of your features, when I look at you I really do just melt on the inside. Especially when you smile. You really should smile more, if I fall in love every time then so will others." We sat up and he planted a kiss on my lips. I kissed him back and he cupped my face in his hand. I moved my face down and kissed his neck. His head tilted back and I couldn't help but smile.

"Careful, you wouldn't want to bite me with those weapons of yours." He said with a slight laugh. It took all of my strength to stop and just nuzzle my head into the crook of his neck. "Why'd you stop?"

"I just don't want to hurt you." I said, tears beginning to well up in my eyes.

"Linds, that was just a joke. You aren't really going to hurt me."

"But you're right. I don't want to hurt you on accident. If I, for example, were to accidently bite your neck right now, just kissing you, you would start bleeding and I wouldn't be able to live with knowing I had hurt you."

"I can just kiss you. Is that alright?" He said with a smile.

"What a dumb question." I said, sitting up and tilting my head back. He crouched down slightly and placed his mouth on my neck. His soft lips kissed me over and over. I felt my wings spring out into the room. "I hate that." I said softly. He reached up and his fingertips lightly brushed against the inside of them. "Ok, well not if you do that…" I moved my body in coordination with his as he moved his lips all across my neck and up to my lips and back down to my neck. I felt him nibble playfully and I let out a half-hearted laugh. "Kaleb." I said quietly, pulling away.

"What's wrong?" He asked, obviously hearing the concern in my voice.

"I want to be able to kiss you. And not be afraid."

"Lindsey, you don't have to be afraid. I know you won't hurt me." He leaned his head back. "Go ahead. I trust you." I took a deep breath and wiped away my tears. I leaned in carefully and placed my lips on his neck. "Go on, it's ok." I took another breath through my nose and began to kiss his neck over and over until I became comfortable with what I was doing. "See, you're fine." I kissed him more all across his neck, moving up to his lips. We kissed each other, my hands moving into his long hair. I knocked his hat to the floor and we both laughed. He ran his fingers along my wings and he told me to turn around. I gave him a weird look, but did as he instructed. I felt him ease my wings out to a perfect position with his fingers. He leaned in and began to kiss my wing, starting at the very top where it bends. I moved them both as he moved across and down and all over. My back arched against the amazing sensation.

"I kind of doubt you even know what you're doing to me." I said slowly.

"Do you want me to stop?" He asked.

"No, it's just a feeling unlike anything I've ever felt. You just sort of went out on a limb and it's just… wow." I heard him laugh slightly as he leaned in to kiss me more. He nibbled again at my wings and I giggled. After a little bit I carefully pulled my wings back in and leaned against him. He lay back against my pillow and pulled me in. I curled into him, my chest over his. I nuzzled my face in the crook of neck and pressed my lips against it. I kissed him again and again as his head tilted as far back as the pillow allowed. I could feel his heartbeat, strong and steady. I'm sure he could feel mine as well, probably fast and erratic. I eventually became too tired to continue kissing him and I closed my eyes. He kissed the top of my head as I drifted off into sleep.

"Lindsey?" I was awoken soon after by a voice too high to be Kaleb's. I opened my eyes slowly and looked over. Bailey stood near my bed looking over us.

"Bailey, I… It isn't what it looks like! I'll send him back, please just don't tell anyone!" I whispered as to not wake anyone else.

"Don't worry, if you can just be quiet for the rest of the night and keep quiet in the morning its fine. I've got a pounding headache and I really just want to sleep."

"Thank you so much." I said as she climbed up to the top bunk. I leaned back against Kaleb's chest and dozed off.

The next morning I woke up and looked around. It took me a few moments before I realized something awful. Kaleb was still asleep next to me. I scrambled up and stood on all fours over him, my hands on either side of his face.

"Kaleb, get up!" I said, semi-quietly.

"Oh ow…" He said his face twisted in pain.

"Are you ok? Headache?" I asked.

"No, your knee is in my crotch."

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!" I said, scrambling off.

"It's ok." He said with a groan. I helped him sit up and get out of the bed.

"Kaleb, how are you supposed to get out without someone seeing you? Oh jeez, Shay is probably already up and already thinks we…"

"But Lindsey, we didn't. Shay will believe me if I tell him."

"Yeah, but who's to say that others won't think the same thing? Last I checked it's pretty hard to convince them of anything they think they saw."

"It's too early for anyone to be up anyway." He said, walking over to the door. He pressed his ear against it and listened. "No one is out there." I came up and wrapped my arms around his middle. He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. "See you later." He whispered before disappearing out the door. I leaned my back against the door and let out a sigh of relief. That was definitely way too close.


	4. Happy Birthday to Me

**Author's Note: **_Hello hello! Been a while hasn't it? So I have a nice, long chapter for you guys and it is one of my personal favorites. So from here on out it may take a while for each new chapter because school has started again. Either way, enjoy and feel free to review._

* * *

I sat out in the yard next to Kaleb on the bench. We watched Shay playing basketball while Bailey stood to the side looking very pissed. Kaleb held my hand in his and tried several times to say something to me, but Bailey interrupted with some sort of grunt or other noise each time.

"Ok, seriously Bailey what is the problem?" he asked finally, anger in his voice.

"I really want to play." She said with an angry sigh.

"Then play." I said, giving her a strange look.

"I was going to, but they said it was guys only."

"So? If you want to play don't give them a choice." Kaleb told her.

"What if you put together a girl's team and challenged the boys?" I suggested.

"Oh that sounds perfect! Lindsey, want to be on my team?" she asked.

"Sure, just let me know when you have it, I'll be right here." I didn't really want to leave Kaleb's side until I had to. Bailey ran off calling some girls name and I full-on grabbed Kaleb's arm.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Of course."

"Then why are you…" he trailed off.

"I don't know." He pulled his arm out of my grip and put it around me, pulling me into him. I took his other hand in mine and studied his fingers.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine, Kaleb." I looked up at him and he gave me an accusing look.

"You're just getting really… clingy."

"Is that a bad thing though?" I asked.

"No, I guess not. Not if I get to hold you like this." I leaned back against him and he kissed the top of my head. Leaning against his shoulder with my arms resting across his chest and abdomen I realized something.

"Kaleb, have you been eating?" I asked.

"Of course I've been eating." He said, confusion in his voice. "Why?"

"You're just, scrawny again."

"Linds, do you think I'm refusing to eat or something?"

"Are you?"

"No, of course not. I mean, I could be eating more I guess… Wait, again? Was I ever not?"

"You had a bit of muscle built up in the facility. I was skinnier in there too, we were both more fit."

"We're still eating the same amount we always have been though."

"Was it the fact that we stopped exercising maybe?"

"I don't think I could get scrawnier from not doing exercise, it's just my body type."

"I don't want to think about it." I said. After deciding that I knew his fingers like my own, I looked back up at him and he looked down at me. He bit his lower lip and I swear I could feel my insides melting.

"Jeez, I'm not going to have any heart left to do anything if you keep making those faces."

"Am I distracting you?" he asked with a smile. I giggled some and he gave me a small kiss.

"Lindsey!" Bailey called and I looked over. "We need one more player!" I thought for a second before realizing that Bailey was pretty much my only good friend.

"Player for what?" I heard a small voice ask. I looked over and Taylor was standing by the bench Kaleb and I were sitting at.

"Basketball. Want to join?" I asked, taking my weight off of Kaleb.

"Oh, yeah!"

"Bailey, we have a player!" She ran over with the rest of our team and we walked up to the large court. Kaleb released my shoulders and gave me a quick smile before I snatched his hat and put it on.

"Hey!" He called. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before running off to join the team. I saw him laugh and shake his head, running his fingers through his long hair. Bailey had already challenged the guys for a six on six and we were setting up on the court.

"Ready?" Bailey asked us. We all nodded and got ready."Regular rules? Or do we want to spice this game up?" Bailey asked with a smirk.

"I'm all for playing with powers." Shay said. The guys cheered and Bailey turned to us.

"You girls down?" all of us cheered and we got ready to play, the boys going first with the ball.

"Wait, are you sure we should be playing with the eight year old?" a guy asked. Taylor swished her tail and bared her fangs.

"Whatever, I want to play." Another guy said, I think his name was Bobby.

"Lindsey! Just a heads up, no flying!" Shay said.

"Got it!" I yelled back. I wasn't planning on it that would just be an unfair advantage. We tried playing, all of us did. But playing with powers really just made the game difficult. The boys had a telepath so we kept getting blocked. Kids started bleeding; Taylor couldn't exactly retract her claws yet. I almost got frost bite, because of that Bobby kid. I guess they call him Iceman for a reason. Shay was just using his whips to grab the ball and kids got hit lots. Then Taylor popped the ball so we had to stop playing.

"That was the worst game of basketball I've ever played." I said, sitting down next to Kaleb. He reached over and took his hat off my head and put it on.

"Agreed." Bailey said.

"Are you guys ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, just a little burn." Bailey said, looking over to where Shay was talking to his team. "Shay you gave me a burn!" she yelled.

"Sorry!" he yelled back.

"I'm fine. My hands are still pretty cold though." I told Kaleb. He took them in his own and held on tight.

"Better?"

"Definitely." I told him while allowing his warmth to seep in.

* * *

"I'm pissed off." Shay said, stabbing angrily at his food.

"What did broccoli ever do to you? Jeez." Kaleb said.

"No, it's not the food I'm mad at, it's my parents." He continued, throwing his fork down. "They want me home for the weekend."

"What's so bad about that?" I asked, not entirely sure what the problem was.

"Going home for the holidays was hard enough; I already spent enough time there."

"Why don't you like going to your parents house?" Bailey asked.

"My parents are… interesting people. Every time I go it's so awkward. Over the holidays they left me alone, but now they want to 'bond.' I know they don't really like me all that much, few families are ok with their kids being mutants."

"Why can't you just say no?" Kaleb asked.

"The professor is making me. He said it would be good for me and them. And my god damned little brother. He hates me."

"I'm sorry. That's really got to suck." I told him. "It's only for a few days though, I'm sure you'll survive. We'll be right here for you when you get back." I said with a smile.

"Thanks Lindsey." He said. During my next class I couldn't bring myself to concentrate. All I could think about was the fact that my birthday was over the weekend. I had no plan to tell my friends, I wasn't used to celebrating my birthday with other people. I didn't want to make a huge deal out of it either.

"Lindsey." I heard someone call my name.

"Huh?" I looked up. It was Professor X.

"Can you please answer question four from last night's homework?" he asked.

* * *

Saturday the fifteenth of January. My birthday. It came way too soon and I wasn't sure what to do with it. I was awake before most people, as usual. Kaleb was definitely up though; he always woke up before me. I missed waking up to him staring at me. I used to wonder what the expression on his face was when he would look at me. I realized it was longing though. I intrigued him. I guess I was ok with that.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes, trying to see clearly. I looked over to the bedside table to find something was there that wasn't before. A little yellow box with a small blue bow on it and a card attached to it. I pulled the card off and opened it. Neatly printed inside was this: "Lindsey, I know you don't want to make a big deal, but everyone deserves something on their birthday. Happy birthday, Professor X." I smiled and set the card aside. I reached for the box and opened it up. Inside and wrapped in tissue paper was a metal circular pin, about the size of a silver dollar. It was black with a red x through it. I smiled and walked over to my favorite tan leather jacket in my closet. I stuck the pin through the collar part and got ready for the day.

The day was just like any other Saturday. I hung out with Kaleb until everyone else woke up and the teachers put on separate movies for the younger kids and for the older kids. Kaleb, Bailey and I all watched, we played sports and hung out. No one mentioned my birthday at all which was exactly what I wanted. It wasn't until later when Kaleb pulled me aside to ask me something that the day was any different.

"Linds, I was thinking maybe tonight, since Shay isn't here we could hang out in my room. Only if you want of course."

"Sounds awesome actually. I'd love to." I told him, allowing him to pull me into a hug. He placed a kiss on the top of my head and we headed back out for the dinner call.

* * *

I realized when I walked in; I had never actually been in Kaleb's room. His was a bit bigger than mine, but they didn't have a bathroom. They shared one with all the others in their area. They did have two separate beds though, one on either side of the room. I came in and sat down on his and he closed the door behind us.

"Your room is so different from mine." I said to him as he came and sat down next to me.

"It is, isn't it?" I nodded and looked him in the eyes. He took his jacket off and let it drop to the floor, only a t-shirt covering his skinny torso. Before I could even register anything else his lips were locked with mine and our arms were around each other. We fell back and I was lying with my head on his pillow. He kissed my neck and shoulders, moving all around until we were joined at the lips again. We sat back up again and I rubbed his thigh with my hand. My other hand was taking of his purple hat to join his jacket on the floor. One of his hands was on the back of my neck and the other lightly brushed the place between my wings on my back. We stopped kissing for just a moment, our foreheads touching and breathing hard.

"I didn't get a chance to tell you the other night. You told me why you loved me. I didn't tell you why I loved you."

"Why do you love me then?" he asked, wrapping both arms around me. The way he spoke, it was as if he was getting drunk on my kiss.

"Kind of like why you love me. So many sides. The way you're quiet around most people, but willing to stand up and fight at any given time. The protective side, the way you refuse to let anything hurt me. The outgoing, happy side I really wish you would show to more people. You have a face for a smile, ya know?"

"Do I?"

"Mhm. I love it when I'm the reason why it's there." He gave me a few more kisses on the lips before settling back for a hug.

"I didn't smile before I met you."

"I'm here now. I always will be. Tonight I'm all yours." We kissed again and he pushed me down against the bed. As he kissed my neck I grabbed desperately at the black fabric of his shirt. I hadn't realized my claws were coming out and before we knew it the entire back of his shirt was ripped to shreds. "Kaleb?" I said kind of softly.

"It's ok. Don't sweat it." He sat up and took the shirt off, throwing to the ground with the other clothes. "Are you nervous? We can stop if you want."

"I think that was a bit more excitement than nervousness." He laughed and I sat back up, just sort of looking at his shirtless, scrawny torso.

"Is this making you uncomfortable?" he asked with a smirk.

"No. You're really tan though."

"I'm a quarter Mexican."

"Huh. Learn something new every day." I kissed him again and this time it was him hitting the pillow. He tilted his head back, allowing me to place my lips on his neck. As he twisted his body around, I kissed him more. Over his shoulders to the back of his neck and behind his ear. His hands moved carefully over my waist, hips and ribcage, sending a feeling of electricity through my body. I fell over next to him and he started kissing me at the top of my spine, where my neck meets my body. As his lips explored up to my ear and back down to my wings I tangled my feet and legs up in his, pulling him closer. I held one of his arms with both of my hands, fondling with the bracelet I gave him.

"You're so beautiful." He whispered into my ear. "I love you, Lindsey."

"Kaleb, I love you too." I rolled over to face him. "Turn over." He did as I told him. I brushed my fingers lightly up and down his tan back, kissing his shoulder blades and up to his neck. Slowly and carefully I became comfortable with what I was doing, my fingers exploring over his chest and down his stomach. I nibbled playfully at his ear and I heard him laugh slightly.

"Just look how far we've come." He said softly, my hands still memorizing him. "Months ago, you wouldn't go near me just walking down the highway. Look at you now, carefully memorizing my upper body."

"How did you know I was memorizing you?" I asked.

"I don't know, maybe because when we do this I memorize every part of your body. I know the way you move, the way you speak. I know your features and I could tell you exactly where most of your scars are, I've felt them all."

"I have the same for you. Anything about any of your features, I probably know more than you do."

"I wouldn't doubt that for a second." I continued to move my fingers carefully, up to his arms this time. Over each small muscle. Up and down along the side of his ribcage and waist, every inch of his torso I understood and felt.

"You mean everything to me, Kaleb." I whispered into his ear. "I couldn't possibly live without you now. You saved my life." I kissed him down to his neck again. Hugging him and holding him close.

"Let me feel your scars." He said.

"What?" I asked.

"I want to feel your scars." He said, turning himself to face me.

"You just said you've felt them all though. Why?"

"I like feeling them. It helps me understand you and realize your pain."

"I guess that makes sense."

"I don't think you understand though. When I touch your scars, I feel the pain you felt when you got them. Sometimes I get flashbacks and I see some stuff you saw when you got them." I took a moment to absorb what he just said and sat up.

"H-how long has this been going on?" I asked, my voice quavering in an obvious fashion. He sat up too and faced me.

"Since the first time we kissed. I touched your scar on your eye and I saw it. I never told you, but when I saw you like that… I just couldn't. I want to know how you felt. For all of them."

"I can't live with knowing I'm allowing you to live the nightmare I swore I would prevent in other kids."

"This is me being ok with that. It can give me the drive to help you prevent the nightmare."

"Does it work with other people?" he just gave me a look. "What? If I'm about to just let you do this I want to have a full understanding."

He sighed before speaking. "I don't know. I've only touched your scars."

"Ok, go ahead." I sighed and pulled my long-sleeve shirt off, leaving me in just my bra, and laid back down, facing away from him. I lifted my wings enough so he could feel the scars underneath them and not get hit in the face. He started on my back running his fingers carefully over each and every one. It took him a while before he felt each one, even the one on my eye.

"I'm cold." I said quietly. He wrapped his arms around me and I snuggled into him. He moved his fingers carefully over my stomach, along my side and between my breasts. My body convulsed from the tickling sensation.

"Are you uncomfortable? I'll stop; I was just trying to figure you out."

"No, by all means continue. It's fine. Figure me out, study my body." I turned over and faced him, looking into his eyes.

"I love you." We said at the same time. We both laughed and I cuddled closer. He pulled the blanket over us and kissed me. I broke it after a few moments and nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

"Kaleb?" I said softly.

"Hm?"

"What do you consider us?"

"Um, mutants? Why? Do you consider us something else?"

"No, I mean, that isn't what I meant. Us, together, what do you consider us?"

"Are you indirectly asking me if I think of us as boyfriend/girlfriend?"

"Well, yeah I guess. Do you?" I looked up at him. Even in the darkness his eyes sparkled.

"Sure. I mean, I think so. Maybe, that isn't the right concept for us though. We're so much more than that."

"Family?" I asked.

"Well if we're family that makes what we're doing very wrong." He leaned down and kissed me and I kissed him back.

"Maybe not family then. Maybe, partners?"

"I think that's perfect for us." I smiled and kissed him again.

"I know I say it all the time, but I really do love you." I wasn't even thinking, everything I was saying was what was on my mind and my brain didn't even bother to filter it. Kaleb was beginning to have that effect on me.

"I love you too. You shouldn't be worried about saying it all the time, as long as it's true. Tell me all the time and I'll tell you." I kissed him over and over and he kissed me back. I buried my face into his shoulder and kissed him there. After we both got too tired to continue we just tangled up our legs together and held each other so close I don't even think you could have fit a piece of paper between us. "Goodnight, beautiful." he said quietly.

"Goodnight."

"I almost forgot, happy birthday Linds." He said suddenly. I looked up and him, shocked.

"How did you know it was my birthday?" I asked.

"Taylor told me. She said that I had better take care of you and make sure you had a good one." I laughed and snuggled into him.

"Well you did a good job. I think this was a really good birthday."

"That's not all though." He said, sitting up. I sat up too and watched as he reached over to the bedside table, pulling a drawer out. He reached in and pulled out a little chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. I did a half-crawl over and sat next to him, my feet hanging off the side of the bed. He handed it to me and then came over and sat behind me. He wrapped his arms around my middle and kissed my cheek. I did my best, trying to cut it in half with just my hands. Once I was somewhat happy with it I handed a half to Kaleb.

"Thank you. This really means a lot." I said, taking a bite.

"You're welcome." Once we finished I cuddled closer into him, closing my eyes. We spent the rest of the night like that. Not a worry in the world, just me and him.


	5. February is for Betrayal

**Author's Note:** _Herro! It's been a couple weeks, hasn't it? Well, I'm just going to go right ahead and say that this chapter is like the last two chapters and if you don't like that, I'm sorry. I love writing it though and I promise there will not be any more after this. The characters say important things though, so yeah. Please, enjoy and feel free to leave a review._

* * *

The next morning I woke up curled up slightly on and slightly next to Kaleb, one leg wrapped around in his. I opened my eyes and looked around and saw him looking up at me.

"Hey sleeping beauty, good morning." I smiled and cuddled in closer.

"G'morning." I said sleepily. I felt his lips caress mine, soft and slow. "I want to wake up like this every morning."

"So do I." I looked over to Shay's bed and sat straight up.

"Kaleb, didn't Shay say he wasn't coming back until tonight?" I asked.

"Yeah. Why?" He sat up and looked over. "Oh crap. Maybe he didn't see you when he came in." Shay was in his bed, sleeping.

"Dude, I was on top of you." I said. "What do you think he's gonna say?"

"He was a bit pissed the last time it happened, probably not gonna be super excited." He said, reaching down for my shirt on the floor. He handed it to me and I put it on. We both got up and I headed for the door.

"See you later Kaleb." I said, putting my hand on the knob. He came over and kissed me, trying to pull me up and make me taller.

"I love you Linds." He said softly into my hair.

"I love you too." I said, reluctantly pulling myself away and out the door. Once I was out and the door was closed I leaned my back against it and sighed. I loved spending nights with him, I just wished we hadn't had to worry about getting caught or just not get caught at all. I had to hurry and try to make it back to my room before Bailey woke up. I jogged through the empty halls to make it to my room before anyone else woke up. Luckily for me I made it back without running into anyone. I opened the door slowly and quietly to try and not wake up Bailey. Just my luck though, she was up and sitting on the chair.

"Hey." She said.

"Good morning." I said with a nervous smile.

"I'm not even going to sugar coat this, where the hell were you last night? With Kaleb I'm guessing?"

"Yes I was with Kaleb. Is that such a problem?"

"Depends, are you at risk for getting pregnant?"

"What?! No! Absolutely not!"

"Good. Then I don't care. Although I missed you playing the guitar and talking last night."

"I'm sorry I deprived you of my music and the darkest and strangest parts of my mind." She laughed and climbed up to her top bunk.

"Well, I'm going to sleep. You should too since you most likely stayed up a good portion of last night." I took her advice and slept for a good three hours before getting up and finding Bailey gone. I sat up and brushed my hair out a bit before getting some new clothes on and sitting down with my guitar. I started singing and playing just when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" I called. Kaleb walked through holding his camera. He had been taking pictures almost nonstop since he got it.

"Play me something." He said with a smile. I plucked at the strings, thinking about what song to sing. I thought of one, another of the few love songs I knew*.

_"I can't believe this moment's come; it's so incredible that we're alone." _I started, playing the notes on the guitar. I looked down at the strings and smiled at the thought of having Kaleb with me. I saw the light flash and I looked up at him. I still sang, but looked at him expectantly; I really wanted to see it. He shook the paper that came out before holding it out. I liked it. He sat down next to me on the chair as I sang to him.

"_Don't let go of this moment in time." _

"You have such a beautiful voice." He whispered into my ear. I gave a slight giggle at the tickling sensation from his hair on my cheek. A knock on the door stopped me in my tracks, cutting my voice and guitar off.

"Come in!" I called once again. To my complete and utter surprise four people walked through the door in this order: Bailey, Shay, Storm and Professor X. "Oh, um… Hello… Welcome?" I said, confused.

"What are you all doing in here?" Kaleb asked.

"This is an intervention guys." Shay said.

"You two are always so wrapped up in each other you can't even focus on anything else!" Bailey continued.

"We understand you two have slept with each other on multiple occasions." Storm said.

"Hold up, I know what you guys are implying, but that didn't happen." Kaleb said, standing up.

"But it could." Professor X said simply. "We have few rules here, but you two are crossing certain lines."

"Or are about to." Storm added.

"You two are not allowed to be alone together at any time. Classes, lunch that's fine. As long as other people are around." Professor X said, he sounded very serious about what he was saying.

"That's ridiculous!" Kaleb continued.

"You have to understand!" Shay said.

"We're doing this because we're worried about you." Bailey said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"You know the rules. I expect you to follow them." Professor X knew how to lay down the law, his voice strong and commanding.

"I can't believe you guys." Kaleb spoke directly at Shay and Bailey. The three of them argued with Storm and Professor X speaking up to them every now and then. I carefully put my guitar back in its case and closed it. I stood up slowly and took Kaleb's hand. He looked at me and I looked at him.

"It's ok." I told him softly. I cleared my throat and everyone turned to look at me. "I'm very sorry for our behavior recently. Professor, we understand your rules and we will follow them. Kaleb," I turned to look at him. "You should probably go." He nodded before kissing me quickly on the forehead. I reluctantly released his hand and he walked past everyone to get out my door and down the hallway to who knows where. Shay left next, followed by Storm and then the professor.

"I'm really glad you understand. You aren't mad at me, are you?" Bailey asked, her hands on my shoulders.

"Of course not. You're my best friend; I know you were just trying to protect me." In reality I was pretty upset. She said she wouldn't rat me out, yet here she was having an intervention with the teachers. Even with good intentions, it pissed me off. She gave me a hug and started pulling me out for breakfast. She and Shay made Kaleb and I sit across from each other rather than next to one another. Yeah, I was really done with them except after that I had three options of what to do with my day: Hang out with Shay, Bailey and Kaleb, sit by myself or hang out with my little sister. At that point I wasn't too fond of any of those options.

Weeks passed. Slowly I stopped being angry with my friends and got used to not spending all of my time with just Kaleb. Honestly, we would steal any moment we could find. Passing by in the halls we would give one another small kisses. Holding hands in the two classes we sat next to one another in. February rolled around and all I could think about was Valentine's Day and how I wouldn't get to spend time with Kaleb. I discovered from a nosy little cat-girl that Kaleb's birthday was on the thirteenth of February and I forced him into celebrating it. On the day I approached him in the hall between first and second period.

"Hey beautiful." He said as I wrapped him in a hug. He gave me a quick kiss. "So what's up?"

"Happy Birthday handsome." He looked surprised. "Big fifteen right?"

"Uh, yeah actually. I'm not going to even bother asking how you knew, because we both have to get to class. See you in third." When he finished speaking I smiled and hugged him one more time before heading off. Later at lunch Bailey and Shay helped force him into celebration and he ended up having a bunch of fun. The real good time happened the very next day though.

* * *

I liked Kaleb's bed. I liked sitting on it, especially with him. I was just waiting for him though, he would be back soon and Shay would not. I wasn't entirely sure where he was going but he wasn't going to be in their room. My hands carefully felt all over the plain white fabric of the comforter, soft and warm and smelling of him. I knew the way he smelled, I knew it so well. I couldn't wait to breathe it in when I saw him again. I looked up and straightened out my back when I heard the doorknob turn. Kaleb stepped through, his dark form tall and shadowing. He looked surprised when he saw me.

"Linds?" He sounded confused.

"Hi."

"What are you doing in here? You know what the professor said." I could tell in his voice he didn't want me to leave.

"It's Valentine's day, shouldn't we do something together?"

"Well, yeah. I guess we should." He came over and sat down next to me. He kicked his shoes off and cupped my face in his hand with careful fingers. I leaned in and pressed my forehead against his, looking into his eyes. Our noses flanked each other as we tilted our heads so our mouths could meet. He kissed me and I kissed him, we tugged at one another, a slight fight for dominance of the kiss. I reached up and knocked his hat off, sending it tumbling to the floor. I ran my fingers through his hair, I could tell by the feel he had it cut recently, but not much shorter. My other hand was on his thigh, rubbing up and down over the rough, black denim. I felt his hand on my back, pulling me closer in. His legs found their way up onto the bed and the only place I could go was on him, so I straddled over his upper legs. Both his hands fell back to support his weight and keep him somewhat upright. I stopped for a moment, my forearms resting on his shoulders, my knees on either side of his hips. I sat back, just above his knees, looking at him and taking in every detail.

"You're kind of beautiful." I said. I hadn't realized I said it aloud until Kaleb started giggling.

"Thanks. So are you. My beautiful Lindsey." I liked the way he said it, _my_. I was his, he was mine. I kissed him again, over and over, pulling gently at his lower lip. He started pulling away, although still hanging on until the last second and he tilted his head as far back as it would go. I knew what he wanted. I pressed my lips to his neck, trying to be slow and careful and not hungry and desperate, even though I was and wanted to. He fell back against the pillows, but I stayed over him. My hands found his wrists and I held them up above his head. As I kissed him he moved his face and shoulders and much as he could in the restricting position I had put him in. Behind his ears and across his neck and down his shoulders. I was suddenly acutely aware of how hot I was getting.

"It's getting pretty hot in here." I said. He nodded his head and made a soft sound of agreement. "We're wearing too much clothes."

"Definitely." He said, sitting up. Still straddling him, I helped him shrug off his jacket and he pulled off my sweater. Kissing each other a few times, I pulled his midnight black shirt off and he removed my pink one. I moved one of my legs so I was just sitting next to him. I pulled gently at his belt buckle, trying to get it undone.

"You sure you want to do this?" he asked, looking down at my hands.

"We're not going any farther than this, lover boy." He smiled and laughed and I did the same. I finally got it off and he kicked his pants off to join the growing pile of clothes on the floor. As he pulled off my jeans I noticed something on his ankle; a little black moth tattoo. Once my jeans were on the floor I pointed it out.

"Is that real?" I asked, running a finger over it.

"Oh that? Yeah, it is." He looked down at it, as if just remembering it was there. I pushed myself over to him, my wings and back pressing up against his chest. He wrapped an arm around me and kissed me, just behind my ear.

"When did you get it?"

"A month or so before we met."

"Why?"

"Why did I get it or why the moth?"

"Um… both." I continued to feel it, my fingers carefully memorizing every curve of the wings and body.

"I guess just to piss off my mom. Get her to notice me. 'Hey, your son got a tattoo! Going to do something about it?' 'My son is a mutant and a complete freak anyway, why should I care?'"

"Wow. A desperate cry for attention?"

"Basically. I'd already tried everything else. I got a moth because my dad used to catch them for me when I was a little kid. Long since forgotten memories." He looked me in the eyes with concern. "Do you think I'm a bad person?"

"No. Not at all. I like it." I leaned down and kissed it, remembering something he had told me a long time ago. "We all have battle scars; some more physical than others." I felt him smile against my cheek.

"Thanks. That means a lot." He whispered in my ear. He moved over so he was facing me and my back was to the pillows. He ran his fingers through my hair and tucked the piece in front of my eye behind my ear. He kissed my lips and pushed me down against the bed in one swift movement. He kissed my neck and I pressed my hands against his bare chest. I closed my eyes and just allowed him to manipulate my body, kissing me and running his fingers over my arms and sides and legs. I pushed him up to a sitting position and moved him so his back was to me. I spread my wings all the way, trying to stretch them out. Not bothering to pull them back in I kissed the back of his neck and down to his shoulder. Quickly I realized something was wrong. A metallic taste hit my tongue. _Blood._ Still unsure, I glided my tongue very tentatively over where I had just been kissing his shoulder and I found the source. I looked over at the spot and found not one, but four puncture wounds fresh on his skin.

"Ka-K-Kaleb?" my voice shook like crazy, my worst fear had been realized.

"Linds? Lindsey, what's wrong?" He turned to face me, tears starting to run down my face.

"K-Kaleb, i-I… Oh god…" I was choking on my words, I couldn't say it.

"Linds, we can fix it, you just have to tell me what's wrong." His hands rested on my shoulders.

"I, b-bi-bit… y-you…" I choked out.

"You bit me?" if I hadn't lost it before, I did then. Tears flowed and flowed and I sobbed over and over into the shoulder I didn't bite.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." I sobbed.

"Lindsey, it's ok, I'll be ok. It's just a bite, right? I'm going to be fine." I shook my head and he rubbed my back under where my wings would fold.

"It's really bad. It's so bad. You should see Dr. Grey."

"I don't think I'll be able to explain a bite on my shoulder. Especially one matching your force and size."

"We can fix it. We can wash it off, put some band-aids on it. Right?" I said, looking up at him.

"Yes, we have a first aid kit in here somewhere." He reached into the bedside table drawer and pulled out a simple first aid kit. He handed it to me and turned around. I wiped up the blood dripping down his back and the wound itself with some tissues. I tried to wash it off with some disinfectant, but I couldn't stand the hissing sound of pain Kaleb was making.

"I can't do this knowing I'm hurting you." I said.

"You have to." He said through gritted teeth. "We need it to get better right?" I nodded and tried to continue. Once I finished that I put band-aids over each one, they were close enough together I only needed two. I draped my arms over his shoulders, wrapping him in a backwards hug. He turned his head and kissed the end of my nose, a smile curling up on my lips. "Do you want to stop?" He asked.

"No… yes? Maybe..." I said, exasperated. "My heart is saying yes, but my brain is telling me no."

"I'm not going to force you into anything you don't want to do." I moved so that I was sitting in front of him, in between his legs, his arms wrapped around me and resting comfortably above my breasts.

"Can you help me make a decision?" I asked.

"I'll just go ahead and put it out there that the amount of self control I have right now to let you make a decision is something I didn't think I had." I giggled a bit. "Well, which do you normally listen to? Your heart or your head?"

"Well my heart kind of takes over when I'm with you. My head has this very prominent 'Don't! You're going to hurt him!' alarm going off though."

"I truly believe you won't hurt me again." He whispered in my ear.

"Ok, go ahead." I leaned forward slightly and he started kissing me just behind my ear. As he nibbled at my ear and continued to kiss me I reached a hand up, brushing my fingertips lightly across his shoulders and chest. His lips found mine as I turned, facing him. My fingers brushed carefully down his stomach and then his sides, going down his hips and over the soft red plaid fabric of his boxers. As they started exploring his thighs and knees, his fingers started doing the same to me. Slowly we fell back, lying down. He kissed my neck over and over, I wasn't about to kiss him anywhere but his lips at that point.

"Kaleb." I said in a soft voice.

"Hm?"

"Kaleb."

"What?" He asked, looking at me.

"Nothing, I just like saying your name. I feel safe." I didn't mention how much I loved the way the word fit in my mouth. _Kaleb._

"You're funny. You know, I noticed in the classes we have together but we don't sit together, you just whisper my name softly to yourself. Randomly." He told me, kissing me slightly in between words. I knew exactly what he was talking about. I didn't do it as much in the classes we had together, but I say it when I miss him. "In that damned place too. When they dragged me away you said my name." I cringed at remembering the facility. Images of blood and those rooms and those kids flashed across my mind. The way he looked when he was being tortured.

"In those rooms too. When they tried to hurt me, your name made me stronger. I hated watching them hurt you. I hated it. I just wanted to kill them, and I've never killed anyone."

"I wish I could say I never killed a person. That poor kid was innocent too. God, I screwed up bad. You are the only person to forgive me for that." I saw a tear well up in his eye. I had only ever seen Kaleb cry once, that was at his dad's grave. I kissed him long and hard. Over and over until I could taste his tears, and I kept going. I only stopped because I needed a breath.

"Kaleb, I will never love you any less for that. Our love, it's unconditional. We're family, we're the Dark Partnership for god's sake!"

"It's been a long time since I've thought about that."

"That's us. That is who we are." I hated seeing him beat himself up. I decided then that I would do some research into that murder, see if maybe he didn't actually kill that kid. "I love you."

"I love you too. Beautiful girl."

"Handsome boy." I muttered, kissing him again. Somehow I found myself straddling him again in the fit of me kissing him and him kissing me. I found myself very carefully reaching to kiss his neck and shoulders. "I'm not going to hurt you. I will not hurt you. I can control myself." I whispered so quietly I could barely hear it.

"I know you won't, because I trust you." Kaleb said, surprising me with his voice. I didn't think he would actually hear me. I kissed him all over, across his neck and extremely carefully over his shoulders. I found myself moving down, kissing his chest and my fingers resting lightly on his stomach. I don't think he meant for me to hear, but I heard a soft moan escape Kaleb's lips. I smiled against him and reached back up to kiss him and have him kiss me. He reached up and grabbed me around the waist, pulling me down with him. I lay on top of him for a few moments, kissing him and allowing him to kiss me, before pulling him back up. We both just stopped and rested on one another. Kaleb was the first to speak.

"Linds?"

"Mhmm?" I replied with a muffled noise.

"Will you sing for me?" he asked. I gave him a look of confusion. He wanted me to sing for him? He had never asked before.

"Maybe. Why?"

"I love your voice, you sing like an angel." I giggled slightly. It wasn't the first time I had heard that.

"I don't want to make you cry or sing you to sleep or anything. If you sleep now what am I supposed to do?"

"Then sing a different kind of song. A love song."

"I don't think I know a love song."

"You know lots of songs, there's bound to be one." I thought of one, one by Avril Lavigne**.

"_I, I like your smile, I like your vibe, I like your style. But that's not why I love you." _I sang to him, slower and softer than the actual song goes. I watched him close his eyes and just listen, as if he was soaking up every word. I didn't stop until the song ended. "_… and that's why I love you."_

"Lovely. Beautiful. Perfection. How are you so amazing?" he asked and I laughed at the question. I kissed him deeply for just a few moments before answering.

"It's a mutation. Something in my genes messed up and gave me an advanced echolocation system that gives me the voice of an angel. And giant freaking wings." I said, the joking sarcasm in my voice just dripping. At the last sentence I opened them up as wide as they could go.

"Oh right, I had completely forgotten." He spoke with sarcasm as well. "Those wonderful things on your back."

"You're so funny."

"Thanks, I try." He reached up and gently cupped my face with his hand and leaned in for the kiss. When his lips touched mine I felt sparks, as I always did. Kissing him, it was a sensation that truly couldn't be replaced or measured up to. He pulled away slowly. He ran his fingers through my hair, pushing the hair in front of my eye farther away. He ran his thumb lightly over the scar.

"Does that hurt?" He asked. I shook my head. "Did it hurt?" I gave a soundless laugh.

"Well yes. Of course. It bled for three days."

"I know. I know it hurt, you know that. I know you wanted to cry, but it hurt when you did. That only made you want to cry more."

"Well did you know I watched as that scar formed? I tried every day to hide it or get it off. I couldn't see out of the eye anymore, but I knew how hideous it was and still is."

"That scar is beautiful. It shows how strong you are and it tells your story."

"So does your tattoo." I told him, my fingers tracing over it. He reached over and tilted my chin up towards him. I reached over and put my hand on the back of his head, my fingers grabbing gently at his hair. I pulled him in and kissed him. As his lips moved over mine I let small sighs escape, just barely. I pulled away, still holding on to his lower lip until the last second and still continued until my head tilted back. I watched still as Kaleb leaned in, like a hawk swooping in for the kill, and pressing his lips to my neck. We tumbled down against his bed, pressing ourselves together. I buried my head into the crook of his neck, closing my eyes.

"I love you so much." He whispered into my head, planting a soft kiss on my forehead.

"I love you too." I said into his shoulder. "I should probably leave before someone notices I'm missing."

"Can't you just stay? Screw what they say, I want you here."

"I want to be here. This is where I belong, wrapped up in your arms in your bed. Professor X, Bailey, Shay, Storm. They'll all be mad at us though."

"They don't matter. Us, right here, this matters."

"Don't. Don't make it any harder on me." I felt hot tears well up in my eyes and spill over onto him.

"I'm sorry, Linds please don't cry. You cry so much, I hate seeing you sad." His hands ran over my head, trying to comfort me. I wanted to stay; I wanted to sleep next to him. I just couldn't stand seeing them upset with me.

"I don't want to get up." I said. He sat up and took me with him. Arm still wrapped around me, he reached down and picked my clothes out from the pile on the floor. I pulled my jeans on, trying to stay as close to him as possible. He helped me put my shirt and sweater on. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, pulling up his own jeans and putting the belt back on. I gave him a look of confusion.

"I'm not going to sleep for a while." He said. I grabbed his shirt and helped him put it on, same with the jacket. I took his hat and put it on my own head. "You look adorable in that." I smiled and giggled silently. I sat with my body pressed to his, his arm resting over my shoulders. I took his wrist in my hand and fingered with his Eclipse bracelet. He held my locket in careful and slender fingers.

"I should go."

"I guess you should." I pulled off his hat and put it on his head. He kissed me again, soft and quick.

"Goodnight Kaleb."

"Goodnight my beautiful girl." I pulled his arm off me and started towards the door, our hands sliding down each other's arms. We caught one another's hands and slowly kept going until we just held on by one finger. Another tear fell from my scarred eye as I finally released him.

"I love you Kaleb, beyond words." As I walked out the door I heard a soft 'I love you too Lindsey.' I tried walking down the halls with confidence, but it was difficult. Was leaving the right choice? I asked myself if I should go back, but decided against it. I only saw two kids walking back, twins maybe six or seven, and they gasped as I walked by. I ignored it, slightly wondering what they had gasped at, and hurried to my room. I walked in and Bailey was playing with some water. It hovered above my head as I went and sat in one of the chairs. I was pulling out my guitar when she called my name.

"Um, Lindsey?" I looked up at her.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Your scar, its showing." I suddenly panicked and ran for the mirror in the bathroom. My hair was still pushed behind my ear.

"Shit…" I said under my breath. I pulled it back so it was covered. That's what those kids had gasped at.

"Were you doing that on purpose?"

"No!" I called. "Ugh, crap."

"Did anyone see?"

"Just some little kids, but I think they are now mentally scarred for life."

"Suck. Where were you anyway?" she asked as I left the bathroom. I started panicking on the inside.

"Uh, outside. Flying. I was flying." I said, sitting back down and picking up my guitar. I tried a few soft chords before trying to play the song I had sung to Kaleb.

"Fun. I always thought flying was the greatest super power as a little kid. Little did I know I have my very own super power though." She moved the water in front of me to make her point. I smiled slightly as I picked away at the strings. After a few minutes I spoke up.

"Have you ever been in love?" I asked.

"No, I don't think so. Why? Is this about Shay? I definitely don't have feelings for him at all, he's just a friend."

"No, no. I just wanted to know if you knew how it feels. To be so in love with someone that they are the only thing that matters sometimes."

"Are you still mad at me for the whole Kaleb thing? Lindsey, we've been over this. It was becoming a real problem. You can't focus at all with him and I'm really worried about you guys. What if something were to happen?"

"Bailey, its fine. You already gave me that talk a few weeks ago."

"Ok, as long as you aren't mad. Just get some sleep ok? I'm going to bed." She guided the water back into the cup on the table. I put my guitar away and turned off our light. I fell asleep with my image of Kaleb laying under me fresh in my mind.

* * *

**Author's Note: **_* This song is Don't Let Go by Bryan Adams featuring Sarah McLachlan from the movie Spirit: Stallion of the Cimerron which is a movie that will always have a special place in my heart, so go check it out. ** This one is entitled I Love You by Avril Lavigne which is one of my favorite songs of hers. You should also go check that out. Until next time my lovelies!_


	6. Broken Girl

**Author's Note:** _Hello again! I'm very excited for this chapter because here comes the central conflict! Also, get ready for a feels fest because I'm mean and want to make you cry. I'm kidding, please don't hate me. Enjoy, I will try and update after this as soon as possible because I know you will be begging to know what happens next. Good luck, try not to cry too hard._

* * *

The next morning I woke up and almost groaned. Then I had a fantastic feeling and remembered it was Saturday. Greatest feeling ever. I got up and got ready for the day, slower than I would on a weekday. Once I was somewhat presentable I headed out as quietly as possible because I know when given the chance Bailey will sleep till noon and is usually grumpy if she doesn't sleep until at least ten. I was surprised when I didn't find Kaleb in the living room we meet in. I checked a few other places including the yard a small peak into the boy's bathroom which both confirmed my suspicions and killed my sense of smell. All options had been eliminated except his room. I tiptoed down the hall and when I reached his door opened it very slowly. I looked in and he wasn't in his bed. I was officially completely baffled. I noticed a slip of paper sitting on his bedside table that hadn't been there when I left. I thought it surely had to be a note from him saying he was going for a walk or something. I quietly walked over and picked up the slip of paper, immediately recognizing what was most definitely _not _his handwriting. It read simply: _You will never see them again. -Mr. L_

"Oh my god." I said softly. Mr. L… Mr. Lomnek, it had to be. He took Kaleb and left nothing but a note. Them… but who else? I pieced it together quickly, Lomnek was after me and went straight to the heart of my existence, my partner. My family. He took someone else though. _Taylor._ My mind immediately found the answer. I ran out, leaving the door open and ran to find Taylor's room. I opened the door and sure enough, she was gone, only her roommates in there. On her pillow, another white sheet of paper: _You can't save them now. Don't cross me again. -Mr. L_

"Oh god. No. No this isn't happening." I gripped both papers tight I my fists. The only two people I cared about, the only two people I actually loved, taken away in the night. I fell to my knees on my sister's floor. _It's all my fault. If I had just spent the night with him, maybe if I had just… _I couldn't help but blame myself over and over again. My mind filled with what-ifs and if-only's. Suddenly a new thought crossed my mind.

"Well shit Lindsey, sitting here and crying isn't going to fix this." I said to myself, making my way out the door. I knew I had to find Professor X, but I had utterly no clue where he slept. I started meandering in the direction of where I knew the adults slept. I knew which room Storm slept in and she was as good as I was going to get. I knocked on her door and waited silently. After a few seconds the door opened and Storm stood looking extremely tired.

"Something's happened." I said. I could already feel my tears threatening to spill over.

"What? What's wrong?" she asked, slowly becoming more alert.

"It's Kaleb. And Taylor… They're missing." I felt my cheeks becoming wet.

"What? What happened?"

"I went looking for Kaleb and I couldn't find him anywhere, but there was this note in his room. And this one in Taylor's." I handed her the slips of paper. She examined each of them before speaking.

"Do you have any idea who Mr. L is?"

"Mr. Lomnek. He's the one who owns and runs the facility Kaleb and I escaped from."

"Well we can go find the professor and he'll be able to find them with Cerebro, easy. We'll go out for a rescue mission as soon as we can." I nodded and she led me down the hall and out to the professor's office. She knocked on the door and opened it before there was any response. Sure enough, the professor sat hunched over his desk.

"Professor?" I said quietly. He looked up and it only took a few seconds for him to undoubtedly read our minds and start heading out and towards the elevator.

"May I see those notes?" He asked on the elevator. Storm handed them to him and he examined them for a few moments before giving them back. We had to jog to keep up with his motorized wheelchair. We reached a circular door with a large x across it. He used some eye scanner thing to open the doors and I started following him, but Storm held me back. I looked in though; I had to see where he was going. As soon as I saw the place I had a mini heart attack. The room, it brought back such awful memories. I started to get tunnel vision and I felt really light headed. I started to fall, but Storm caught me.

"Lindsey? Lindsey are you ok?" she asked. I watched as the professor stopped and turned back around, coming towards us.

"Lindsey, what's wrong?" he asked.

"I've been in there. That's where… Oh god… Katie, Lomnek."

"Where have you seen this place before Lindsey? This is very important." He spoke slow, he needed me to hear every word carefully.

"In the facility. It was exactly the same except with worse lighting. They really can't light a room in that place."

"You've met another telepath before. She must have used it, that's how they found Taylor and Kaleb." Storm said.

"We'll find them, don't worry." The professor said. He headed back in and the door closed behind him. It seemed like I was waiting for hours before he came back out, a solemn look on his face.

"Well, obviously they're deep in that forest in Pennsylvania. I'll go wake Shay and Bailey and we can go on a quick rescue mission, have them back before lunch. Easy peasy." I said, trying to hold up a smile.

"Lindsey, there really is no other way to tell you this." The professor started, sadness in his voice. "I couldn't find them with Cerebro. Kaleb and Taylor are dead." At his last word I felt a feeling in my chest. Like someone just took a sledgehammer and threw it at me and it hit me right in the heart and lungs, knocking all the air out of me and ceasing all movement.

"No. No they aren't." I said, as soon as I found my voice. "They are my family, they are not… _dead. _Kaleb can't die, he's Kaleb! He's everything, he's…" I fell to my knees right there. No tears came or even threatened to. I wasn't sad, just shocked. I was numb. The only feeling being the extremely empty feeling in my chest. Like my heart had been torn out and I wasn't even in pain, just… done.

"I'm sorry Lindsey." Storm said with her hand on my back. I couldn't feel it there but I knew that's what she was doing.

"I think… I just… I don't…" I couldn't form a sentence.

"You don't have to do anything today if you would prefer not to. Do you maybe want to see Dr. Grey when she wakes up?" she continued. I just nodded unconsciously. She helped me up and they walked me up to my room, sitting me down on my bed. I'm sure they said something, but I didn't care. I still wasn't sad, just confused. I might have been mad, at myself and Lomnek. I immediately continued to regret the fact that I hadn't just fallen asleep with him. I was also in denial for about a half an hour, thinking he was going to come in saying "surprise! Ya miss me?" After that I accepted the fact that he just wasn't and I didn't start crying until about three hours after finding out. I was officially sad by then. He was gone, and he wasn't coming back. I had to move on, but I needed to mourn. I was sad that I was never going to see his gorgeous smile, or his beautiful face. I wasn't going to feel his kiss again, or his hands on me. His last words ran through my head.

"_Goodnight my beautiful girl. I love you too." _Over and over and over. Bailey woke up and she cried when she heard the news. We cried together. When Shay came in he cried too. We sat on my bed and just cried for hours on end. We talked about him, and Taylor. The poor girl, she had been so young. I couldn't sleep at all. I think a whole week passed like that, I can't remember how long. I looked at the locket, held it all the time. Looked at the picture and the engraving. We held a funeral for them; not everyone cried. I did. I sat at his empty grave for long hours and slept there that night. It was after that I decided I needed to honor him. I had honored Taylor for an entire day, drawing cats, black ones with green eyes. I wore black all the time. Never any other color.

Call me obsessive, but I would wear his shirts, which were obviously way too big for me. I drew moths over moons. I played the songs I had sung to him and a new song, one by a depressing bad called Hawthorne Heights* I would sing, but instead of man I said girl.

"_I'm just a girl who was meant to be broken, a life stone whose life is winding down." _

It was around the hundredth time singing that song right after talking to Professor X to try to sort out my thoughts when I made a realization. I was going to spend my entire life wearing his shirts to have his smell and feel and never going to move on. I was meant to be broken. My time was running out. I didn't care either. I just wanted to be with him. There was only one way I was going to. I looked over to where the bag I had traveled across the country with hung on the hook on the closet door. I put my guitar back in its case and walked over to it. I reached in, touching the money and then the only other object I kept in there, my dad's dagger. I pulled it out and looked at it, ornate and beautiful. Stained with my blood. I took off the sheath and threw it aside. I felt over my chest, trying to find the spot in between my ribs that led straight to my heart. Once I found the spot I used both hands to hold it over the spot.

"We'll be together soon my Eclipse." I said to the empty room. I began pushing down, it hurt like hell. But not nearly as bad as what I had been enduring for almost an entire month. It was relief, sweet relief. I closed my eyes, picturing him and Taylor, excited to see them again.

"Hey, Lindsey. How's it- Oh my god." I heard Bailey's voice as the door opened. "Lindsey! STOP! NO!"

"I can't deal with it anymore. I'll see them again. It's way better this way anyway."

"No, stop. Stop talking like that and put the dagger down." I shook my head. She ran over and grabbed the handle, prying it from my hands. She threw it across the room and I screamed.

"NO!" I started for it, grabbing and lurching. She grabbed my arms, pulling me away and towards the bed. "No! I have to do this!"

"No, you don't. SHAY!" she threw me on my bed and sat on me. I protested, telling her I needed it, I needed to end the pain. I needed to end my life like Kaleb's was. "Seriously, shut up. You don't know what you're saying! The pain will go away, death is permanent. SHAY! Come ON!" I struggled against her. Shay came in, looking very confused.

"Do I even want to know?" he asked.

"Now is not the time! Lindsey is trying to kill herself; you have to get Dr. Grey!"

"Ok, I'll go." He started running out.

"HURRY!" I tried hard to get out and reach the dagger, it was all I saw. The tunnel vision had started setting in. Every time I got close she would use water to slap me back down. It didn't seem like long to me, but for Bailey it must have felt like hours before Dr. Grey and Shay walked in.

"Lindsey." Dr. Grey came up and looked me in the eyes.

"I just want to die." I said. I stopped struggling so I could talk to her.

"I know. I understand. Right now, I'm going to make the pain go away, ok?" I just gave a confused look. "Just hold still." I sat and watched as she slowly reached into a pocket in her lab coat. Before I could even register anything else a needle was being plunged into my arm. My vision went black and I slipped deep into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Is she going to be ok?"

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

"Yes. After the professor fixes her mind."

_Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop._

"I just can't believe she tried to do that. He really was everything to her."

_Buzzzzzzzzzz._

"Look, she's waking up!"

* * *

My eyes opened and I was bombarded by bright lights and smiling faces. I tried to sit up and get a better look at my situation. I couldn't lift my body past my shoulders though. My chest, wrists, waist and ankles were bound to the table I was laying on.

"Lindsey?" I heard a familiar girls voice.

"Bailey?" I asked.

"Oh, wow. You're ok."

"Why am I attached to the table?"

"We aren't taking any more chances." Dr. Grey told me.

"Is that an IV drip?"

"Lost a lot of blood." Shay said.

"I wish you had just let me die."

"I think I'll be able to fix that." I looked over and Professor X sat just above my head. "Will you let me into your mind?"

"Are you doing so for evil purposes?" I asked, still unsure.

He let out a small laugh "No, of course not."

"Ok. I guess that's fine." I said. He the edges of his lips curled up only slightly and he placed his hands on either side of my head and closed his eyes. I squeezed my eyes shut at the pain in my head he had just started. Pictures and words flashed by. Kaleb and Taylor all over the place. I couldn't back out now, it was too late. I wanted to scream and cry and just end it all. All those negative emotions caused by the death of my family came over me, increased by around ten thousand percent. Then suddenly, peace. I felt like it was ok. I was still sad and very not ok with my last people being dead, but I didn't want to kill myself. I opened up my eyes wide, but before I could take anything in I shut them again. I just wanted to sleep.

"Everyone out, I'm sure she'll be up and ready to face the world soon." I heard people shuffle out the door, but one voice stayed and whispered in my ear.

"You have to stay alive, ok? We need to avenge them." I recognized it as Bailey's voice and I perked up at the word avenge. I opened my eyes and looked at her. "Come talk to me once you're out of this hell hole." I couldn't tell if she was referring to the room we were in or the hell hole that was the jumbled up mess of my mind. I didn't care. I had a real reason for living as of the time being, Kaleb and Taylor were _not _about to die in vain.

* * *

**Author's Note: **_* This song is called Broken Man by Hawthorne Heights and I heard it and thought it would be perfect for Lindsey in her complete and utter despair at this loss. I'm sorry if you yelled at the computer when you read that, I know i do that sometimes. I will try and get the next chapter out as soon as I can, just hold on. _


	7. Drowning in the Pain

**Author's Note: **_Wow it has been a long time! Well I have an extra long chapter with lots of plot twists and fun, emotion filled stuff like that. Enjoy! Feel free to leave a review._

* * *

It took about a week for Dr. Grey to decide that I was ready to face the world again. Of course no one would ever pass me a knife at dinner, but it didn't bother me that much. I didn't immediately go to Bailey and ask about the revenge, but she didn't mention it to me either. I waited until I was ready to talk about them (I was still wearing Kaleb's shirts all the time at this point.) before I asked about it.

"Oh I thought you'd forgotten. This is what I'm thinking," she began. "You, Shay and I will all go on a night we all agree on. Not. Telling . Anyone. We go out, you help us find the place, we take down this Lomnek idiot and show him that he messed with the wrong mutants, rescue all the others and head back within a day or two. Easy." She gave me a smile from where she stood, looking very proud of herself.

"Sounds good. Just a few things though. One, does Shay know your master plan? And two, isn't someone going to notice we're missing and send Storm or someone for us?" I asked, skeptical.

"One, not quite and two, not if we're fast." I rolled my eyes at her response. She had never really been out in the field, just the danger room simulations which was very different from actually going to the facility.

"Bailey, there are so many risks surrounding this. We could get caught and held in there, experimented on. Do you know how hard it is to escape from that place? I was in for a month. A month!"

"You still made it out. We can do it again."

"You don't understand. We had Ka… his mutation." I really wanted to go. I don't know why I argued, but I did. I guess I was concerned for the safety of my friends. That would be the more heroic kind of feeling I guess, but in reality the last tiny part of me that believed Kaleb and Taylor weren't dead was saying that they may come back.

"We're smart Linds. Smart enough to not get caught in the first place." Something clicked inside me at "Linds."

"No one calls me Linds. Its Lindsey. Not Linds, Lindsey."

"Kaleb called you Linds all the time tho-"

"Only him." Bailey took a step back, obviously scared.

"Do you want to go or not?" she asked, slightly impatient.

"Yes." I turned the small part of my brain to mute. I had to face facts, they were dead. No questions, they were dead.

"Awesome! Ok, we should go convince Shay, come on." I allowed her to grab my arm and pull me to Shay and- Shay's room. As we walked through the hallways I got many looks and stares. Kids turned and whispered things to each other. I heard things like "That's her" "Suicide" "Over some boy" "Look, isn't she wearing his shirt?" "Psycho" "Totally insane" "She shouldn't be here" "Remember?" "Dark Partnership" and "Lord help her." Bailey looked back at me and I looked at her. She gave me a look of sympathy and she pulled me towards her to wipe away a tear. We continued to his room and burst through the door.

"Shay!" Bailey called.

"Ok what now?" he asked turning around.

"We have a plan." I said quietly. Bailey nodded vigorously. Shay rolled his eyes, but still invited us in. We came in and I sat on Kaleb's bed and Bailey stood. She explained it to Shay, but I couldn't stop feeling the comforter and picturing those times I kissed him there. I saw the way he looked at me just before we started kissing. Excitement mixed with nervousness and longing. The way he looked while he kissed me. I could perfectly feel the way his warmth seeped into me while we cuddled under the blanket. The way his heart always beat steady and strong and how I could feel it on my chest when I kissed his neck, I could feel that too. Just one little problem, I couldn't smell him. His scent was missing and had been replaced with the odor of manufactured flowers. It was entering my nostrils and choking me from the inside. They washed them, they washed his sheets. I coughed and hacked and wheezed. I couldn't take it, I couldn't stand it.

"Lindsey? Lindsey?!" I heard Shay calling me faintly. I stood up quickly and backed away from the bed. I stumbled aimlessly backward, tripping over the nightstand that stood between Kaleb and Shay's bed. I fell back, possibly on Shay's bed, possibly on the floor. I could barely feel it when Shay grabbed me and tried to hold me up.

"Lindsey? What's wrong?" I heard Bailey only slightly, like I had cotton in my ears. My vision got darker and I was threatening to black out.

"I need to get out." I said, trying to take deep breaths.

"Shay, take her out. She needs to get out." I could tell Bailey was trying-and failing-to keep her voice steady. She was panicking. Shay probably dragged me out of the room and sat me down just outside right next to the door; I still couldn't really feel anything. My vision came back slowly and I could see them clearly, their voices making more sense and becoming clear.

"Lindsey, listen. Can you hear me? If you can, just nod." Shay spoke, looking me in the eyes and holding my shoulders. I nodded at him, indicating his voice was clear in my mind. "Oh good. Can you see?" I nodded again. "What happened in there?" I cleared my throat.

"The sheets. Kaleb's. They washed them." Shay and Bailey gave me a strange look. "The smell, it hurt."

"Do you need me to get you something? Water maybe?" Bailey asked

"Actually that would be perfect." Shay said. Bailey nodded once and took off down the hall. "Lindsey, focus on me. Look at me, focus on my eyes or my nose or something, just don't drift off." I tried to focus. His features were blurry, but I was determined to hold on. I looked at his lips. I focused on the soft curves and memorized them. I had never realized just how warm and inviting they are.

"Shay?" I said extremely quietly.

"Lindsey? What is it?"

"Shay, I…" I couldn't get my mouth to form the words. Although, even if I could I'm not sure what I would say to get my feelings across.

"Lindsey?" I wrapped my arms around his neck and tried to bring myself as close as I could to him. He sat still for a moment before wrapping his arms around my middle. "Lindsey, are you ok? I mean, not just the health sense."

"No. Just, don't let go. Please, don't let go." I had been drowning in my sorrow and pain and loss for so long. I was sinking and staying afloat was so hard. I realized then that I needed something to hold on to, anything to keep my above it all and sane. Shay was the nearest piece of driftwood and all I had to do was reach up and grab on.

"I won't. I promise I won't." I loosened my grip enough so I could look at his hazel-green eyes. I couldn't control myself, I buried my fingers in his hair on the back of his head and pulled him even closer. Our lips collided. It was obvious that he hadn't kissed anyone before and was unsure what to do. I tried what I could to show him, but he panicked and broke it.

"Lindsey, I can't." he said, guilt in his eyes.

"Shay, I need you. I need you now more than ever." I was pleading with him.

He looked at me for a moment and eventually nodded his head slowly. "Ok, ok. I'm here, don't worry." He held me close to him. I lifted my head and kissed him again. And again. And again. He was getting the hang of it.

"Shay? Lindsey?!" Shay released my lips and looked up at Bailey. He stood up slowly, challenging her look of shock with one of defiance. The glass of water hit the ground with a loud _crash _and shattered on the floor. "I leave for two minutes and suddenly you two are locking lips on the floor of the hallway! When did this even happen?! Why?!"

"Bailey, calm down-" I started.

"Bailey." Shay stopped my statement short. "Anything going on between Lindsey and I is no concern of yours."

"Fine. Forget it. Just disrespect Kaleb like that! Because he never deserved that! He wouldn't want this, I know it!"

"Bailey, all Kaleb wanted was what's best for me. He wanted what makes me happy." I told her, standing up.

"Fine. Shay's right anyway, its none of my business." She angrily controlled the spilled water and made a small ball that held all the small pieces of glass and carried it back. Shay turned his head and shoulders towards me and I walked forward, intertwining my fingers with his.

"Lindsey, if you're not completely comfortable with this-"

"Shay, its fine. Are you comfortable with it?" I asked him.

"Yeah, of course." We walked to the field together and sat on one of the benches. We talked and a learned a lot about him. He grew up in New York and when his mutation showed up during a family dinner his little brother's hatred for him began with Shay accidently leaving a scar on his leg. He loves to draw and I demanded to know why I hadn't seen any of his drawings. We spent a long time looking at his drawings of animals and people that were so realistic I asked if he had messed up and meant to say his hobby was photography. He asked that I show him my guitar playing skills because he had only heard me play once and that was when our whole quartet was hanging out in Bailey's and my room. I wasn't playing for very long before Shay squeezed into my chair next to me and gave me a look. I returned with a similar one.

I leaned carefully across him to put my guitar away. As I came back up he took my face gently in his fingers and leaned in, our lips connecting. It didn't take long for me to melt into him, after kissing one another several times before, Shay was starting to figure it out and was becoming great. I won't lie, I did compare it to kissing Kaleb and it hadn't been quite the same. I still enjoyed it though.

"Lindsey…" he said quietly, breaking the kiss, but keeping our foreheads and noses touching. "Should we really be doing this?"

"There really isn't any reason why we shouldn't." I told him, running my fingers through his shaggy, auburn hair. Shay acted like he was going to kiss me again, but instead just teased my lips gently with his own. I chased his lips just slightly and caught them, not teasing him but fully meaning it. Our lips brushed together over and over again, each time leaving me wanting more.

"Shay…" I sighed, only stopping for half of a second to take a breath. I felt my wings unfold and flap a couple of times into the room. Shay broke the kiss, stood up, took my hand, helped me up and brought my hips in close in a matter of seconds. I rested my elbows on his shoulders and kept my fingers in the mess of his hair, gripping tight, but comfortable. Shay held my waist and we stood in a bit of a hug, each waiting for the other to start kissing again.

"How long do you think it will take Bailey to forgive us?" he asked.

"Maybe a day or two. We really should execute the plan soon though, to give us a little closure. Life isn't going to wait for any of us, as much as I want it to."

"I agree. I know how hard this has been for you and I know it feels like nothing really matters anymore, but it will get better. I promise that I will do everything I can to show you just how great life is." He smiled before pulling me in again and kissing me. I broke it after a few seconds and just rested my head on his shoulder.

"Thank you. For everything." I made a quick realization. "Bailey is going to be really pissed off if she sees you in here."

"I know." He started to unwrap himself from me.

"I don't really want you to go though." I said, gripping him tighter.

"I don't really want to go either. I'll be back tomorrow though, I promise you that." I kissed him quickly one more time.

"Ok, I guess I can live with that. Goodnight Shay." He kissed me again before untangling himself from me and heading for the door. He shot me one more smile before turning and walking out. I was standing by myself for about seven seconds before Bailey walked into the room, who took quite a long time at dinner that night.

"Hey." I said. She just grunted and nodded in response. "Are you still mad at me?"

"No. If Shay really makes you happy and Shay is happy with it, then go for it. I really think he has the capacity to bring you out of the shell you've created." She must have done some real thinking over the course of the day. "I am going to bed though. So goodnight, try not to be too loud."

"Ok. But, really quick. Do you have a date in mind for our mission?" I asked.

"Mission. It'll be our first mission as junior X-Men. The outfits are a must. The date… this Friday night."

"That's in two days." I told her.

"I know. We should be doing our first mission with Kaleb." I wiped a tear away just before it fell.

"Yeah, we should."

"Don't forget to pack as much as you can while still packing light."

"Of course." I changed quickly into pajamas and crawled under the covers. I fell asleep with many mixed emotions of doing our first real mission without Kaleb and having Shay to count on during said mission.

The following two days went by quick and I was almost afraid we wouldn't have enough time to get everything set for the mission. We did though and we even managed to find a tent. A great deal better than what I had to cross the country with. We smuggled our suits from the underground tunnels on Friday, the last thing we needed, and were all set that night. Around eleven o'clock Shay met us in our room, all suited up.

"You girls ready?" he whispered. We nodded back and headed out. I carried the flashlight as we walked towards the back to where the yard is. We made it out the door and across the basketball courts without too much noise. It was climbing the wall that surrounded the building that was difficult. I just fluttered over and Bailey climbed on Shay's shoulders so I could pull her up. Shay had to back up a bit so he wouldn't hurt me with his method of climbing. His whips began to emerge from his wrists as I started pulling on a pair of gloves so the little poisoned barbs on said whips wouldn't kill me. He gripped them and whipped them up. I caught them and held on tight. He came up to the wall and began climbing, the long extensions of his arm receding back to their hiding place in his wrists as he went. Once he was up a let go and took off the gloves, handing them back to Bailey. Bailey and Shay leapt down first and I followed with my wings out. Once we touched down we all looked at one another to confirm we were ready. Both Shay and Bailey gave a nod so we all took off running, me in front, Shay following close behind and Bailey taking up the rear. I led us in the direction I knew for sure to be where the facility was.

We alternated between running, power walking and dragging ourselves throughout the night. We tried to stay away from the road as best as possible, seeing as three fifteen year-old kids in glorified onesies would attract some very much unwanted attention. With only about a half an hour of resting squeezed in we managed to make it to right around the edge of Pennsylvania by the time the sun was rising. We all stopped once we noticed the forest start thinning.

"We need to rest." Bailey said.

"We need to keep going." I said.

"Lindsey's right. They're going to notice we're missing soon."

"Its Saturday. They'll think we're sleeping. You're only siding with Lindsey 'cause you guys are dating or whatever." Bailey argued.

"Hey, that is not why. Lindsey just made more sense.

"Well-" they started full-on yelling at one another, arguing about who was right and Shay's and my relationship.

"HEY!" I yelled, the full force of my advanced vocal chords behind the word. They both turned to look at me, silence falling over the forest. "Bailey makes a good point. We can risk resting for a few hours."

"Thank you. I am _not _sharing a tent with him though." Bailey said.

"You guys are going to have to make up soon, because I am not going to deal with this." Bailey rolled her eyes. Shay had already set up the tent, it was one of those two-step ones, and was heading inside.

"Have fun on the ground. You're welcome in any time." I told Bailey as she started lying on the grass. I ducked inside the tent which was really only good for keeping bugs out and not laying on dirt and grass. Shay was lying down, eyes closed but not quite sleeping. I came over to him and sat, slightly hesitant to lay down with him. He opened his eyes and sat up. He brushed his lips up against mine softly and pulled me down with him, arm around my shoulder. I snuggled in close to him and closed my eyes. I couldn't fall asleep though. I focused instead on how it felt to be wrapped up in someone else's arms. Shay was a bit more muscular than Kaleb and he felt stronger, more able to protect me. Although less willing to. Kaleb would jump up and fight for me no matter what and he always felt ready to spring up and defend. Shay felt more calm, at peace and not afraid we were going to be attacked by someone at any moment. I started drifting off and before I knew it Bailey was opening up the tent and yelling at us to get moving.

It didn't take us long to pack up, snack a little and get moving, heading for the town Kaleb and I had stopped in where he got his hat. I was kind of hoping we would see Josh and Nate, but we had to keep going. It was once we passed through to the woods when my heart really started pumping. I began to realize, there was no way I was going to be able to just waltz into the building like no horrible wrongs were committed in there. I began to breathe heavily, my lungs threatening to burst. _Is this what hyperventilating is? _I asked myself.

"Shay?" I gasped while we trudged through mud and grass.

"Mhm?"

"I can't do this. I'm not going to be able to go in there. No way." I told him. His gloved hand reached out for mine and took it. I intertwined my fingers with his, trying my best to find comfort in the gesture. I realized it had a whole different meaning with Shay than it had with Kaleb. I still held on like he was my lifeline, truly the only thing keeping me somewhat sane. It was reassuring enough to bring my heart rate and breathing back to normal

"Lindsey, it'll be ok. We'll probably only be in for an hour, maybe two. I promise I'll be there to back you up, and so will Bailey. You have nothing to worry about." He told me reassuringly. I pressed my body slightly closer to his as we walked. It definitely made me feel better knowing I wasn't going in alone, but I would have felt way better had Kaleb been there.

It took a few minutes for Bailey to come to speaking terms with Shay and only a few more after that to reach the facility. We all stopped cold when we saw the immense, green and brown building.

"Is uh… Is this it?" Bailey asked, her voice quavering slightly. Both she and Shay were craning their necks to attempt at seeing the top, their mouths agape.

"Yeah. Yeah it is." I told them. "Come on, we don't have a lot of time." I started walking forward, taking Shay and Bailey's wrists with either of my hands. They walked with me and I released. Once I reached the wall I began feeling all along the cool metal, hitting seems and bolts that held it all together. I touched a panel that pushed down when I pressed.

"This is it guys. Shay, whips?" I asked.

"Ready." He said, coiling them up around his hands.

"Bailey, water?"

"Ready!" she had her hands at the ready to uncap her two sacks of water attached to her suit. I nodded and started my transformation; my claws out, wings up, fangs bared. Carefully, slowly, softly I pressed the panel. It moved forward and to the side, opening up in the same place Kaleb and I escaped from. We walked in, extremely tense. The first thing I saw was the kid who told us about the door. He saw me and turned completely pale, a shocked look on his face.

"Oh my God, you're alive!" he said. Many of the others turned to look and most had the same reaction as the kid.

"Shh!" I said quietly. None of them spoke. I motioned for Shay and Bailey to follow me as we walked farther into the cage room. All eyes were on us, moving silent as shadows across the hard metal floors. Over the course of the months I had been at the school my mutation had shifted and changed. I didn't have far sight anymore, but I had night-vision and my hearing only enhanced when I transformed. The only sounds I could hear were us brushing our feet across the floor and the squeaking of kids adjusting themselves in their cages. I could see very well in the room where the lighting situation only got worse. By some miracle we made it all the way to the door without the huge guys bursting out of nowhere. Shay reached to open the door and I grabbed his arm tightly.

"This is the world's loudest door. We can't open it unless we put something under it." I told him, my voice in a rushed whisper.

"There's nowhere else to go. How did you do it the first time?" Bailey asked, voice incredibly quiet.

"Kaleb." I said, my voice lost of any excitement I may have had left.

"We should have thought this through better." Shay said.

"Abort?" I asked.

"Abort." My two friends said together. We ran quietly back across the floor. Now, I'm not entirely sure where we went wrong here, but I have a few ideas. Perhaps we were just a bit too carless and loud, or one of the captured mutants was a little too loud in their cages or a little too quiet even. We heard the loud scratching of the door across the floor. Each of us stopped walking and turned, looking to see the four heavily muscled guys from the last time I was in there.

"You guys ready for a fight?" I asked. They both nodded at me in response. I willed my claws out further and spread my wings wider. Shay uncoiled his whips and Bailey uncapped her pouches and brought out some of the water slightly. The guys ran at us fast and we were ready. For me, standing up front was like a game of chicken. How far would I allow them to come? By the time they were about a foot away I was up, hovering above them and hanging on a ceiling cage. I watched from above, Shay whipped the first two, who collapsed in two writhing balls on the floor. He stepped out of the way of the next two. I turned to see who was in the cage I was hanging on and was incredibly surprised by who sat in there. The same teenager from the gas station.

"You?" I said, surprised.

"It's actually Rachel, but yeah. You're actually alive though, incredibly surprising."

"Lindsey. Why is everyone so surprised I'm not dead?" I asked.

"Well this Lomnek guy told everyone that half of the Dark Partnership is dead." Rachel told me.

"Well duh. Oh, would you excuse me for a second." I looked down to see Shay and Bailey still fighting hard, but not doing well. I leapt down, claws out and ready to take them down. My claws collided with the man's flesh and I felt his blood drip, warm and sticky down my fingers. Trying to keep myself above him, I watched as he at first gripped his shoulder and made a small cry of pain, but it quickly dissipated when he turned up to look at me with a snarl, the wound healing faster than I had ever seen.

"Mutants…" I said, shocked.

"Yeah, no shit Sherlock." Shay said while he wrestled with one of them in a weakened state. Shay's poison seemed to affect them longer than anything else we did, although not as much as it did on a normal human. I dived again, feet first this time, and grabbed the same one I had just been fighting with both of my enlarged, clawed bat feet. My talons went so deep into his muscle I could feel them meet in the middle. He let out a low cry and sunk to one knee. He couldn't heal with my claws in him. I flapped my wings a few times and let out a war cry that reverberated around the building. I looked over to see Bailey fighting a losing battle with one, she tried to freeze him in blocks of ice but he kept smashing out, and Shay fighting another, whipping him continuously in an attempt to keep him down. There was one missing. I looked all around, trying to find him. Although when I did see him, it was too late. He stood behind Bailey, large syringe in hand.

"BAILEY!" I screamed, just in time for her to look up, gasp and be sedated. She fell to the ground, the water falling around her in a grimy puddle. The one she had just been fighting picked her up and start carrying her to the door, careful to keep out of our reach. I scolded myself internally, I had lost track of the one carrying needles. When I saw him again, I was even later and I could barely get his name out when the milky white liquid was injected into his shoulder. I knew what was about to happen. I swiveled my head and saw him coming, I was ready. When he ran up I released my grip on the one and dove forward, front claws outstretched, ready to grab him. He grabbed one of my arms with his free hand and stopped me cold. I flapped and screeched and tried to pull away, but he had a death grip on me. He did manage to get the needle in and press down and I had no choice but to watch as the substance entered my bloodstream and dulled my senses. My claws, talons and ears disappeared. My eyes began to close and the last thing I saw was Rachel's face, full of sorrow and worry.


	8. I'm Alive And So Are You

**Author's Note: **_Haaaay friends! I have a new chapter with new developments and and much feels! Enjoy! Also, I feel like no one is reading when there are no reviews so please, if you are enjoying or not enjoying or if you have questions or anything of that nature, please let me know!_

* * *

When I woke up I was lying on concrete. I was in a ground cage this time, directly above my sat Bailey, also just waking up, and next to me was Shay, still unconscious. Both of them were locked up in cages of their own. I started breathing heavily again. Running through my mind was all of the things that were inevitably about to happen. Bailey and Shay were going to be tortured. I was going to be tortured. _Is this a panic attack? _I asked myself. I did of course the only logical thing to do in that situation, and screamed at the top of my lungs. My mind was kind of blank as to any sort of reasoning and I did exactly what I do in most times of peril.

"KALEB!" I screamed. "KALEB, KALEB, KALE-EH-EB!" I didn't stop. I was horrified. I was afraid and my emotions had already been fragile enough before I was going to spend the rest of my life in that place. "Kaleb I need you! Kaleb come back… Come back… please… you promised…" tears streamed down my face as I sobbed to no one in particular. I crumpled into the corner of my cage closest to the hallway, gripping the bars so hard my knuckles turned a bright white. I felt a hand touch my shoulder and I looked up. Shay and I shared a cell wall and he leaned against his side, his hand placed comfortingly over my shoulder.

"It's ok. You're going to be ok. The X-Men will be here soon, they'll find us with Cerebro and come to rescue us. Don't worry." He told me.

"Shay, those men will come for you, both of you, and do unspeakable things to you before they get here." I told him.

"We'll find a way out. I promise." Shay said.

"There are kids who have been here for over three years. Three years Shay! And still counting!"

"We will do what we came for. We are going to avenge Kaleb and take this place down." Bailey said from above us. We both looked up at her. "We came with a mission guys. We are the future X-Men. We are going to save all of these kids and avenge our fellow warriors no matter what! We can take anything they throw at us! We survive, it's what we do. Are you guys with me!?"

"YEAH!" The entire room shouted back at her, catching her off guard and causing her to stumble back and fall on her behind.

"Good to know I have lots of supporters." She said with slight sarcasm. Everyone cheered back at her and from the far corner of the room I saw a large flame rocket upward and lick at the ceiling, lighting up the whole room.

"There must be some seriously powerful mutants here. I definitely want that kid on my team." Shay said. Everyone eventually quieted down and I was able to observe my space. I was on the aisle opposite of the one I was at the first time, closer to the door. It had been only a few minutes before the person in the cage on the other side of me spoke up.

"Um, excuse me?" I heard a small voice ask. I looked over and a boy maybe ten or eleven sat and looked at me patiently.

"Yeah?" I responded.

"Are you the girl everyone has been saying is dead?" he asked.

"I think so. Most are surprised to see me."

"Why aren't you dead? Mr. Lomnek said that half the Dark Partnership is dead and the other half is here."

"Well half the Dark Partnership was brought here and then died. I guess it's true now that I'm here." The boy looked confused. I shrugged and quickly decided I should find any information I can out of him.

"What about a young girl? She's eight and she was brought here. Looks a lot like me, but she has claws, cat ears and a tail." As soon as I finished describing the cat features his face turned a sickly pale.

"I remember her. She's the only one to ever die while in here. He killed her right here, right in front of the doors." My jaw hung open slightly. She really had died.

"Taylor…" I whispered to myself.

"Did you know her, miss?"

"My name is Lindsey. Yes, I did know her. She was my sister."

"Oh, I'm very sorry Lindsey. My name is Trevor."

"Nice to meet you Trevor." I tried to keep my voice steady, but it just shook like crazy. It wasn't very long at all before we heard the door slide open. Everyone looked over, scared for their well-being. I noticed something was a bit off. Instead of one young scientist there were three. Instead of one set of handcuffs in the men's hand, there were three. They stopped in front of us. Shay and I were pulled first, handcuffed and held aside by two of the men. Bailey was pulled next; she didn't fight, but instead accepted her fate with dignity. They lined us up next to each other in the aisle, Bailey and Shay on either side of me. One of each of the scientists stood in front of each of us, writing something one their clipboards. The men lead us down the aisle, the extra holding onto my wings. We didn't speak, we only exchanged wary glances. While I could see the concern on their face, I knew that they had no clue what they were truly in for. The doors were big enough for all of us to fit through, although not comfortably. Bailey was the first to break off, sent to the very first room. She gave me a pleading look, like she knew that we couldn't help but wanted it anyway. Then Shay, sent off a few more doors down. He gave me a look too, but his was reassuring. An unspoken _it'll be ok. _As soon as he was gone I noticed something very strange. Someone was standing outside one of the doors. _Him. _Lomnek himself stood outside one of the doors, looking directly at me with his beady green eyes, his black hair still well kempt and his body skinnier than before, like a string bean in a pantsuit.

"Lindsey darling. Oh, how I've missed you." He said in the voice that made me wish I could claw my ears off.

"Lomnek." I said, scornfully.

"You know, I was actually quite surprised when you made it out. Not surprised you got as far as you did, but the fact that you went far enough away to make my men give up. I would have been fine with that, minor setback, except darling, you took something that rightfully belonged to me." He paced a few times and stopped, inches away from where I stood at the last word. "You seem confused dear. The files. You took the files. Those files, had you not taken them I wouldn't have had to use force to bring you back. But now, I had to pluck your precious Kaleb and darling sister out of the equation, bringing you back here with my files. Thank you for those, by the way. See, I'm not entirely evil though. Yes, your sister did have to die, that I needed to keep everyone in line and mess with you just a bit more. I'm going to allow you ten minutes behind this door and all I ask is that you do not tell your friends or anyone else in that room about what you see. I will know, I still have Katie. Are we clear?" it was all I could do to just nod. He really had killed her.

"Yes." I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

"Excellent!" he made a motion with his hands and all within a half of a second the door was thrust open, I was un-cuffed and thrown in. I lay on the ground for a few moments before standing up to scan my area. It was a small room, surprisingly well lit considering where I was, with a red, fading curtain to one side. Suddenly it was pulled back, revealing a tall boy. The first thing I noticed were the dark clothes, new, then the dark hair, dark features and I made a realization.

"No. No you can't be real. You died, you're dead! Kaleb, Kaleb is dead!" I screamed at him, refusing to move closer. He walked over to me and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Lindsey, I promise it is really me. I'm not dead, I'm right here." This guy sounded like him, looked like him, moved like him. He fit Kaleb's description to a T. It only took a few seconds for me to just accept it and completely melt into him. I wrapped my arms around his torso and started crying into his shoulder.

"Oh god I've missed you. I was a wreck. You should have seen me, wearing your shirts every day, singing our songs to myself. Kaleb, I almost killed myself. I would have if Bailey hadn't saved me." I tried as hard as I could to speak through sobs.

"I'm so sorry to put you through hell like that. It's going to be ok now. Everything is going to work out, you'll see." His hands smoothed out the hair on the top of my head.

"Kaleb we don't have much time! We have to get out! We have to save everyone!" I released his body and grabbed his hands, jumping up and down at the excitement of having Kaleb for our first mission.

"Lindsey. Linds listen to me." I stopped jumping and looked at him. "Maybe we don't have to."

"What?" I asked, very confused.

"Maybe, we can just stay. Linds, Lomnek isn't that bad."

"You're delusional. Kaleb, we're getting out of here and killing that monster. That was the plan all along."

"Lindsey, he is trying to help us. He's making us stronger, better people. We are going to leave this place, I'll promise you that. Once we're ready. There are humans and mutants alike who want to do worse and Lomnek can't take them down on his own. He needs us, and as soon as we're ready we'll go and take down the truly evil ones. Have you heard of Magneto? He is evil and needs to be brought down by us. The entire U.S. government needs to be brought down and we can do it! I just need your help. Please, then we can go home."

"He's done something to you. I don't know what, but you definitely aren't you."

"He hasn't done anything. It's still me. I'm still the same Kaleb. The Kaleb Reed you met all those months ago in the pouring rain. I'm just smarter now. I know that I need to protect you and this how I need to do it. I know, it's really hard after all the things he's done, I don't even really want to do this. I know that I need to protect you and all the others who are still alive."

"I dated Shay while you were gone." I said simply.

"Bastard…" he whispered under his breath, just loud enough for me to hear. "Well I'm back now. I have you back and you're still as beautiful as ever." He pulled me close to him and kissed the top of my head. "I love you Lindsey. I promised myself I would protect you and all you need to do is trust me on this."

"Ok, I trust you. I love you too." I stood and allowed him to hug me, soaking up every bit of his warmth and smell I could get. Within a few moments the door swung open and in a sing song voice Lomnek said.

"Time's up!" I was pulled out, with a hasty goodbye and little care for my feelings, cuffed back up and in the hallway.

"Surprised aren't you? See, I didn't have any reason to kill him. He's quite powerful and I couldn't let such talent go to waste."

"Why did Cerebro pick him up as dead?" I demanded.

"This building is wired in such a way that any telepath on the outside cannot sense anything in here."

"Ok. Fine then. I almost killed myself you know. What you did with him, not ok." The two guys began to drag me away and I followed willingly. "Wait." I said quietly. The men stopped. "You have me. I'm on your side." They continued to pull me away, down the hall, out the doors and to my cage. I sat on the damp concrete, unaware of what to do with myself. Tears ran down my face and I sobbed loudly into my hands. I cried for Taylor, I cried for what Lomnek said and for what Kaleb said. I cried a few happy tears for Kaleb being alive and quickly began to cry of sadness for the fact that the real X-Men wouldn't find us and would think all of us were dead. I cried for my stupidity and out of frustration. I needed to break myself off from Shay without telling him Kaleb was alive and just thinking of ways that simply wouldn't work gave me headaches and more tears.

"I'm going to get you out of here. I'm going to get us all out of here. I promise you that much. Kaleb. Kaleb. Kaleb I love you. I miss you. I want you out here, why can't you be out here with us?! Kaleb! Kaleb you freaking bastard! Kaleb you LEFT! You left and joined HIM! COME BACK!" I continued to sob and eventually I just curled up on the floor and just before slipping into unconsciousness I heard the cage next to me open and Shay fall onto the ground with a loud thud.

Upon waking up I found myself against the wall I shared with Shay and him stroking my hair. I sat for a second, eyes still closed, soaking in the feeling.

"Shay?" I whispered eventually.

"Yeah?"

"Are you ok?" I asked with a quavering voice.

"Somewhat." He said, continuing to stroke me.

"He really isn't. Take a look at him Lindsey. He took most of it." I heard Bailey say from above. I opened my eyes and sat up, giving him a long look. He cuts and scrapes all over his arms and a couple on his legs. His right eye was swollen shut and his lower lip was split and bleeding.

"Oh my god." I said quietly. He looked at me with sad eyes and let out a soft sigh. "Shay… They did this to you? Oh jeez, did they even get it out of you?"

"Unfortunately, yes." He kept rubbing his hands over his wrists in a way that must have been him trying to hide it, but I still noticed and carefully reached out and grabbed one of his arms. He didn't resist and I was able to see the place where his whips come out. The spot itself was an array of different sickening colors ranging from red to yellow to purple.

"They forced them out didn't they?" I asked, chocking on the last few words. He nodded and sighed again. "Oh Shay." I reached into his cage as far as I could to stroke his hair and try to hug him.

"How about you, Bailey? I really hope you aren't this bad." I asked, one hand resting firmly on his shoulder.

"No, I'm much better than that. Just um… a few burns." She said. The last couple of words were soft and I could hear her trying not to break down crying.

"Burns? Seriously?" I asked. I knew from a previous talk we had that when she was younger and first discovered her mutation a few kids found out. They would chase her home throwing rocks and sticks at her and calling her names. There was a point in which they caught up to her and they grabbed her and dragged her into the back room of what they all thought was an abandoned building. In reality it was a bakery and they had no idea that when they pushed her she would land into an oven that had only just started cooling down and was still extremely hot. She was given third degree burns and has been afraid of anything with extreme heat since.

"How did they even know?" she asked.

"Katie. The telepath."

"There's a telepath? On _that _guy's side? I mean, _helloooo! _He's evil! And hates all of us!" Bailey continued.

"He gets inside her head and feeds her lies about how he treats her differently and she's so much more important and special than the rest of us."

"She believes him? Jeez this place is messed up…"

"No shit." I said quietly.

"I'm tired." Bailey said with a yawn.

"As am I." I said quietly. I leaned my head against the bars again and closed my eyes, trying not to think about what was going on and the incredible hopelessness of it all. _Sweet dreams Kaleb. _I thought to myself.


End file.
